Christmas caroling is a timeless holiday tradition, yet caroling originally did not include singing at all. In the thirteenth century, the earliest form of caroling was called “wassailing,” and began in England. Wassailing was a tradition where people went from house to house to spread well wishes, especially during the coldest months of the year, according to yesterdaysamerica.com. Saint Francis of Assisi, a devout Catholic, and his followers, the Franciscan friars, were the first people to connect wassailing to the Catholic faith and Christmas by singing songs about Christianity and Jesus’ birth. For over eight hundred years, caroling has become a festive way to bring people together and spread joy for the holiday season.
At first, caroling was not just a Christmas activity but an activity to celebrate any season, according to englishheritage.org. In fact, there were carols for the springtime, harvest, and even the middle of summer, according to classicfm.com. Dr. Ronald Hutton, a professor at the University of Bristol and a historian specializing in early modern Britain and pre-Christian religion, believes that out of all the seasonal songs, only Christmas carols survived because Christmas is a festive holiday where many people enjoy celebrating, according to englishheritage.org.
While Christmas caroling has increased in popularity since St. Francis started it, caroling has faced resistance before. Mr. Oliver Cromwell, a powerful politician and military leader in the United Kingdom, banned singing Christmas carols in public in 1644, according to museumofthebible.org. Despite his embargo, the British people continued to sing Christmas carols in secrecy, allowing the tradition to persist. A new British monarchy then restored them in 1660, and all Christmas festivities came back in full swing.
Through the years, Christmas has become increasingly commercialized, and parts of the Christmas tradition have strayed from its humble beginnings, according to yorktownsentry.com. Ms. Lisa Jardine, a writer for the British Broadcasting Channel (BBC), shared how Christmas carols unite both singers and listeners, allowing the Christmas season to steer away from shopping and consumerism and go back to its traditional origins, according to bbc.com.
“It is the sense of sharing, even across the distance that separates us, that seems to make these simultaneous opera experiences so fulfilling,” Ms. Jardine says, according to bbc.com. “Binding memory, community and tradition in one soaring emotional experience, those shared ‘joyful songs’ are the best means we have of reconnecting to home and family, and re-evaluating at the end of what for many will have been a particularly difficult year.”
Featured Image by Blaire Williamson ’27
