Unveiling the magic of Christmas celebrations: 8 facts

Christmas Carol

A Christmas carol is a carol (song or hymn) whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas. Carols were first sung in Europe, but these were not Christmas Carols. They were sung at the Winter Solstice celebrations as people danced around stone circles. The word Carol represents the meaning of dance or a song of praise and joy. Carols used to be written and sung in all four seasons, but the tradition of singing them at Christmas has survived. Before carol singing in public became very popular, there were sometimes official carol singers called Waits. These were the bands of people led by important local leaders who had the only power in the towns and villages to take money from the public.