It is interesting to note that carols had nothing to do



with the birth of Christ in the past. They were actually

secular dances which used to take place at any point of

the year .The scene reminded of ?coronet? and from there

we get ?carols?. It was from 16th century onwards they

came to be known as songs at the time of Christmas. So ,

carols are no more dances but religious hymns.

People around the world are so engrossed in listening to

carols that they sometimes forget to ask a very interesting

question ?Why do we sing carols??. One can get the answer

in the story about the birth of Jesus. The idea of singing

carols came from the songs the angels sang when they met the

shepherds to give the news of Christ's birth. This history

makes it clear why carols tell the story of the birth of

the Christ.

In 13th century carols were communal songs but later on they

got associated with church and Christmas. They involve a

performance of the choric singers. ? Personent ho die? and

?Angels? were popular Middle English carols .But it lost its

popularity after Reformation. Arthur Sullivan revived the

essence of Christmas songs with ?It came upon a midnight clear?.

England , Poland , Bulgaria perform the tradition of

?wassailing?, in which groups of singers travel from house

to house . They sing songs and common people reward them

with money or mince pies and even with a glass of an

appropriate drink. All the money that is collected is

given to charity.

' Carols by Candlelight ' concerts rock the Australian city

nights . Opera singers in Melbourne are quite famous for

Christmas songs.

A study shows that gradually carols are becoming secular

once again. Christmas songs are no more solely sung by

Bishops and clergy but now by bands. Though the dictionary

meaning of carols is ?joyful religious song celebrating the

birth of Christ' yet they are now played on musical

instruments and people around the world cannot stop

themselves from enjoying the compositions and modern musical

arrangements of Salvation Army Brass Bands. Carols are

getting popular day by day through the medium of on line

greeting cards.

Dickens can never be forgotten when an analysis is carried

out on Christmas and its songs. 'A Christmas Carol ' is

perhaps the best writing which conveys the essence of the

same. Scrooge is the apt example for all Christians who need

to understand what Christmas spirit is all about. One can only

appreciate carols if he is a true Christian.

But modern scenario is different. It sounds peculiar to note

that carols are still so popular in The main reason is -the songs

are not just religious but lyrics arranged in excellent tunes.

Here lies the universality of Christmas songs.

Carols purify our souls and this the time we really feel to be

the blessed children of God. But the spirit invites all to

participate in the tunes irrespective of the religions. Modern

study shows ? musicians around the world are interested to

experiment with carol tunes. The question that may crop up at

this juncture is ? will carols be again secular music ?

Article written by Sean Carter.