The custom of singing carols at Christmas is of English origin which began in the middle ages.
In
the beginning the singing of Christmas carols was known as 'wassailing'.
But
this soon changed, and the singers became known as carolers when groups of
serenaders called "waits" would travel around from house to house singing
ancient carols and spreading the holiday spirit.
The
word "carol" means "song of joy."
The
reason Christmas carols became so popular was that the angels sang when they
appeared to the shepherds at Bethlehem to announce the birth of Jesus Christ's.
The
original meaning of a carol is quite different to what we imagine it to be today
for a carol was once a secular dance which was performed at any time of the
year.
People
danced around in a circle holding hands and singing songs.
The
dance reminded onlookers of a coronet, so they called it a 'carol'. The name
was transferred later on from the dance to the song itself. Carols
By
the 16th century carols were sung only at Christmas time and at one time only
Bishops and clergy were permitted to sing carols in church.
But
carols became too popular amongst the public to be confined to church and were
soon sung in the streets.
A
true Carol tells the story in song of the birth of Christ and is sung during
period leading up to Christmas.
