A Brief History of Christmas Carols

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Christmas carols are embedded in the festive season. From O Holy Night to Away in a Manager, chances are you have heard – and belted out – quite a few of them. Whether you are a churchgoer or just a music lover, you cannot escape the power and uplifting nature of a good carol. That’s why even your favourite pop stars churn out a Christmas album at least once in their career. But before Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber, there was medieval Europe, where carols first launched.

Where did Christmas carols originate?

There is a little precariousness when it comes to the exact origin of Christmas carols, but it is generally accepted that it dates back to 4th-century Rome. Recorded in 129 AD, The Angels’ Hymn – performed in Latin, of course – is considered one of the first Christmas carols.

But long before this recording, pagans sang carols during the festival of Saturnali to honour the agricultural god Saturn around the winter solstice. To keep their spirits up during the cold months, pagans would come together to sing, dance, act, and feast. In fact, the old French word ‘carole’ meant a popular circle dance accompanied by singing. It is this festival that we can also thank for the traditions of wreaths, candles and gift-giving during the festive season!

Singing in December eventually snowballed into church songs and choirs and became specifically related to Christmas. Christian hymns evolved into sequences of rhymed stanzas in Northern European monasteries in the 9^th and 10^th centuries before St Francis of Assisi influenced the development of popular Christmas songs in native languages in the 13^th century. The more people who could read and sing the words, the more the joy of carolling spread across the world.

Where You Can Hear Carols in London

London is a magical place during the festive season, and if you fancy a spot of carolling, there are many churches, events and gatherings where you can get into the spirit.

Best places to hear Christmas carols and songs this year:

Do you have a favourite Christmas carol?