Every year, when the month of december, the streets are flooded with Christmas spirit. Assemble the Christmas tree, decorate the whole house with lights, write the letter to Santa Claus and make cookies These are just some of the Christmas traditions. No matter how you choose to celebrate during these holidays, one thing is for sure, the story of Christmas carols is also a part of family celebrations around the world. But, Have you ever wondered why carols are sung at Christmas? Or what is the origin of Christmas carols?
You may not have questioned it to this day. However, now that the doubt has been created, we are sure that you are dying to know. Continue reading this new Supercurious article if you want to know the origin of Christmas carols.
Know the history of Christmas carols
It is possible to begin to unravel the origin of Christmas carols only by breaking down the etymology of their name. The word villancico simply means “villa song”. Christmas carols are born, mainly in Spain, within the villas as simple melodies used by the settlers to tell stories or relate situations of their daily life, such as love stories.
But how did they become an essential part of the Christmas story? And how did they become what they are today? Join us to discover it.
1. What is the origin of Christmas carols?
The history of Christmas carols and their emergence dates back several centuries. Historians believe that they appeared during the Renaissance, as a popular custom within the towns. Although back then, They weren’t about any specific topic.
Rather, They dealt with different themes, from those that told love stories, to stories about local events and even satires. The interesting thing is that almost no mention was made of religion. Musical instruments were not used either, the voices were enough.
Later, during the 5th century, they began to be used by evangelizers for religious festivities. back then, began to be used to tell Christian stories and as a way to involve the vulgar population, that is, lack of education and that did not belong to royalty, in all kinds of celebrations.
During the 17th century, changes began to take place in the history of Christmas carols and certain musical instruments such as the organ, the harp and the violin are incorporated for its interpretation. In addition, some pieces began to be composed on the occasion of the different religious festivities, this explains why Christmas carols are sung.
But the origin of Christmas carols does not remain immobile. The songs begin to spread to Latin America at the time of colonization of the viceroyalties, carried by the chapel masters as a method to facilitate the process of evangelization of the colonies. Little by little, they began to become independent from religion and managed to form their own identity in the 18th century. At that time, the figure of Santa Claus began to be incorporated as a participant in these songs.
There are those who maintain that the story of carols and their essence is strictly religious, while if other figures such as Santa Claus are included, they are Christmas songs.
Be that as it may, it is interesting to know why we sing Christmas carols. These songs are characterized by having messages of peace, love and hope. Designed to raise the Christmas spirit, its protagonists continue to be Jesus, Joseph, Mary and the Three Wise Men.
In Anglo-Saxon culture they are known as carolsthis word comes from French caroler and it means “to dance forming a round”. It is considered a celebration and explains why we sing Christmas carols in groups and even accompanied by dances.
The most popular Christmas carols
Now that you know the history of Christmas carols and you know why Christmas carols are sung, We invite you to review the most popular around the world. This is one christmas activity ideal to do with children and unite the family!
Although the origin of the Christmas carols that we mention below is really diverse, many of them have been translated into various languages and are sung around the world.
1. Silent Night Christmas Carol
If we have to mention only one Christmas carol, we cannot fail to mention the most popular and most sung in the history of Christmas carols. It is nothing more and nothing less than the carol silent night.
Although its original name is “Stille natch, heilige yacht”, This famous Christmas carol was created by chance by an Austrian priest in 1818. This priest composed the song with the idea of playing it with his guitar, since the organ in his church was out of order. To this day, this famous Christmas carol has been translated and is sung in more than 300 languages.
2. Christmas carol Joy to the world
We are sure that you have heard this joyous Christmas carol more than once as the soundtrack to a Christmas movie. It is one of the most popular Christmas carols among Americans. It was inspired by a psalm from the bible and is about the joy of receiving the birth of baby Jesus.
3. Christmas carol My burrito sabanero
This sweet song marks the origin of Christmas carols in Latin America, being very popular. It originated in Venezuela, although it later spread throughout the region. It was famous for having been performed by a children’s choir since its premiere.
4. White Christmas Carol
This is another of the most popular in the history of Christmas carols, translated into an incredible number of languages and which It has a Guinness Record for having more than 50 million copies sold for the English version made by Bing Crosby. It even has a very popular version in Spanish, sung by none other than the famous Mexican singer Luis Miguel.
5. Christmas carol The fish in the river
It is undoubtedly one of the classics of the Christmas in Spain. Its origin is unknown, although there are those who claim that it has a marked Arab influence. Beyond its origin, it is known for being highly successful and sung among young audiences.
6. Christmas Carol Bell on Bell
This famous song, of Andalusian origin, announces the arrival into the world of baby Jesus. The sound of the bells refer to spirituality and the church.
And you, Did you know the origin of Christmas carols? Which of the ones we mentioned do you usually sing with your family? Feel free to leave us your opinions in a comment. We will be happy to read you!
If you are one of those who enjoy the Christmas spirit the most, you may be interested in knowing the following articles about Christmas and everything that surrounds it.
OH! And while we love this tradition, we can’t stop thinking about the planet and the waste of paper. Therefore, we leave you these tips to have a Ecological and sustainable Christmas.