Advent Calendar Day 12: Carols

December 12, 2011

Symbol of Christmas:

Carols

We hear them on TV and in the store even before Thanksgiving.  We have probably gone out caroling a few times before as well.  We sing them in church, in our car, and while cleaning the house during the month of December.  The subjects range from snowmen and bells, to reindeer and Christmas trees, to shepherds and angels, to baby Jesus.  But why are carols so popular at Christmas and why do we sing them?  This site has a good explanation of where carols originated from:

Carols, which are more joyful songs associated with dance (the word “carol” comes from either the Old French term for a circle dance, carole, derived from the Latin choraula, or the Greek dancechoraulein), seem to have been first introduced in the 12th century by St. Francis of Assisi, who is also credited with creating the first Nativity scene. He wanted to teach people about the birth of Jesus through music, so he added religious lyrics to well-known tunes. The concept of Christmas carols then traveled throughout Europe, including to Germany where many carols were written in the 14th century. Carols today often retain the medieval choral patterns from the tradition of these early carols. As time went on, the popularity of Christmas carols and hymns grew, and from this we have some of the most popular Christmas songs today. Probably one of the more well-known, mainstream Christmas hymns today is “Silent Night,” which was written in 1818 in Austria. The Latin hymn “O Come All Ye Faithful” (also well-known by its Latin name, “Adeste Fideles”), was composed by John Francis Wade in 1743.

Actually, I think the first record of a Christmas carol being sung can be found in Luke 2:13-14: 

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

I know these verses don't say the angels were singing, but I can't imagine them doing anything otherwise.  Singing praises unto God is one way we can worship Him.  Singing is also a way to express joy and gratitude.  There are many, many references to singing as a form of worship or expression of joy in the scriptures.  One that I like is in Psalms 30:4; "Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness."  I think this is why we sing Christmas carols.  It is a way that we can express our joy and thankfulness for Christ and what He did for us.  It is a way that we can worship Him.  Even when we sing songs that don't have anything to do with Christ, such as Jingle Bells, or Deck the Halls, we are singing because we are happy and joyful at this time of year.  I love listening to Christmas music and singing the Christmas hymns at church.  It makes me feel happy, and reminds me of the reason we celebrate Christmas.  What better way to celebrate the birth of our Savior than to honor and praise Him with music?  It really is "the most wonderful time of the year!"