Different nations around the world have different names for Christmas. In Germany, it is referred to as “Yuletide,” which may have been derived from the Germanic jilt or the Anglo-Saxon gel. It is also known as Navidad in Spanish, Natale in Italian, and Noel in French. The English term “Christmas” has a relatively recent origin and translates as “mass on Christ’s day.” According to accounts, the majority of Christmas carols sung today in the US and worldwide were composed by Jews, and these American Jews felt fairly inclusive with Christmas—a stark illustration of today’s pervasive cultural relativism and expanding secularization.
Although many were adapted from filthy folk songs and may have even been penned for Thanksgiving, the most well-known Christmas carols and seasonal songs aren’t as old as you might assume. Most Christians in India learned their carols from church hymnals or Jim Reeves albums, which are both revered with equal fervour. However, few people are aware that carols were originally folk songs; carolling originally meant “to dance in a ring” and until about 150 years ago, carols were only sung in homes.
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The 16th-century Welsh hymn Nos Galan served as the inspiration for the Christmas carol “Deck the Halls,” which has an opening verse that roughly translates to, “Oh! How soft, fa la la la la la la la la, is my fair one’s breast. The family-friendly Christmas version, which was composed in the 1860s by English singer Thomas Oliphant, makes references to becoming wasted as well: “Fill the mead-cup, drain the barrel, fa la la la la la la la la la.”
Preacher Charles Wesley first penned the poem “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” in 1739. Its first line, “Hark how all the welkin rings/Glory to the King of Kings,” was a bit of a mouthful. About 20 years later, George Whitefield, another preacher, revised the lyrics to the carol version we are familiar with. This infuriated Wesley, who disassociated himself from it.
Felix Mendelssohn wrote a song in 1850 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the printing press. He specifically requested that the tune only be used for non-religious melodies. Everyone seemed unconcerned and thought Wesley’s poem complemented the music well, as do we all.
The song “The One Horse Open Sleigh,” which was created in Georgia, USA, in the 1850s with the intention of celebrating Thanksgiving, predates “Jingle Bells” and wasn’t even initially a carol when it was first recorded. That explains why there isn’t any other Christmas imagery but snow and a sleigh.
Others, like Gloria Shayne’s “Do You Hear What I Hear?” with lyrics penned by her then-husband Nol Regney, were even born out of the prospect of war. They came up with it in October 1962 because they hated Christmas’ commercialism and wanted to make a peace appeal during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Whitney Houston, Bob Dylan, Alicia Keys, Pentatonix, and numerous other artists have all covered it. It’s still obstinately low-key, like they desired.
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Christmas is a season of joy and warmth, surrounded by the love of family and the camaraderie of friends, whether or not there are carols. We are all anticipating the most lovely time of the year, when people from all over the world gather together to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25. This is because the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns that followed it unleashed were responsible for the challenging years.
