Sharing the good news about Jesus’ birth through song began on the day he was born. As angels announced the news of Jesus’ birth to the shepherds, they were singing praises to God on high. The shepherds then hurried to the stable to find out if what the angels had said was true. When they realized it was just as the angels said, they began to spread the news to others about Jesus. Caroling is a way that we, too, can share the good news about Jesus.
Some of the Christmas carols or songs that share the good news about Jesus’ birth are: Away in a Manger, What Child Is This? The First Noel, Angels We Have Heard on High, O Little Town of Bethlehem, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, O Come All Ye Faithful, Joy to the World, O Come Emmanuel, We Three Kings, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, Silent Night. Most of these songs were written in the 1800s.
Caroling is associated with the custom of wassailing. In England a wassail bowl containing hot spiced cider would be carried around the village during the twelve days of the Christmas celebration. Villagers would dip their cups into this bowl to drink from. It then became a custom for families to have their own wassail bowl and serve the drink to carolers when they came to their home.
God created man
and to him we all belong.
One way that we can worship him
is to lift our voice in song.
It’s been a Christmas custom
for carols to be sung.
Like Christmas decorations,
which in houses have been hung.
When December 25th was named
the day of Jesus’ birth,
Songs were sung in Latin
about Christ’s coming to the earth.
Latin was a language,
which most people didn’t know,
So the custom started slowly
and it didn’t really grow.
Then St. Francis of Assisi
designed a manger scene,
To help the people recognize
what Jesus’ birth did mean.
St. Frances taught the people songs
that they could understand.
The music was quite simple,
without piano or a band.
It made the people joyous
to celebrate Christ’s birth,
And understand the reason
that he was sent to earth.
In many countries people made
grand pageants every year,
To celebrate the birth of Christ
and make its meaning clear.
But there were groups of people
that carols would not sing.
They didn’t think the music
to God did honor bring.
It was because so many carols
came from songs of old;
Tunes the people long had sung
that worldly stories told.
In the eighteen hundreds (1800’s)
lots of new songs did appear,
And many of these carols
are the ones we sing each year.
The custom we call caroling,
of singing door to door,
Started with a “wassailing”
a part of English lore.
In England, the celebration
lasted for twelve days.
Through the streets the people’d walk,
in song their voices raise.
Into a wassail bowl of ale,
the singers dipped their cup,
And to each others’ happiness,
they would drink it up.
Some people still go caroling
in malls or on a street,
Bringing joy by singing
to the people that they meet.
The best songs to sing at Christmas
celebrate Christ’s birth,
So the reason for his coming,
resounds around the earth.