England’s Christmas Carols (what’s your favourite?)
It’s not so common these days, but carol singers have a strong part in English history. There’s nothing nicer on a winter dark night, to discover a band of carol singers in town, something that has happened since Victorian times.
Read our post on keeping pets safe at Christmas (foods, plants including holly and mistletoe, and other hazards).
The History of Christmas Carols in England
In medieval times, most Christmas songs were church hymns sung in Latin. Monks and choirs would fill stone cathedrals with serious, chant-like melodies. A bit like Gregorian chants you hear today.
As time went on, some were translated into English, and people would sing them in circles, holding hands. Gradually people sang them in pubs, and then in public streets.
The Victorian age saw Christmas carols grow more popular still.
Popular Christmas carols during these times were:
- O Holy Night
- O Come All Ye Faithful
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
- The First Noel
- Silent Night
- Away in a Manger
- Once in Royal David’s City
- Good King Wenceslas
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman
- Ding Dong Merrily On High
- In the Bleak Midwinter (words by poet Christina Rossetti)
Top‑Streaming Carols Today
Here are the five most streamed carols in England in recent years.
- Silent Night (King’s College Choir)
- O Holy Night (Andrea Bocelli)
- Fairytale of New York (The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl)
- O Come All Ye Faithful (St Paul’s Cathedral Choir)
- All I Want for Christmas is You (Maria Carey)
BBC’s Christmas Eve broadcasts by King’s College are enjoyed by millions each year.
Ever Read the Book ‘A Christmas Carol?’
A Christmas Carol remains one of the most read books of Charles Dickens, who often focused on how the poor suffered in society. This book was so influential, real-life stooged began to make charitable donations.
Charles himself had a heavy childhood, being sent to work age 12, due to his father (who raised him in Portsmouth) being so in debt that he was actually sent to prison.
This of course gave Charles good fodder to try to inspire change for the downtrodden, through his written work. Although he eventually became a rich man, he never forgot his roots and the poverty he endured.
A Christmas Carol is the story of miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, who won’t even pay money for coals to keep cold people warm (sound familiar in the present political climate?)
Always offering excuses, one night he sees a ghost of his dead partner, who basically persuades him (mostly through fear) to change his ways.
Ebenezer then meets crippled Tiny Tim (a kind and happy boy) and is inspired by all the happiness around him, of those less fortunate than himself. He then decides to change his ways, and finds peace for the first time.
One Wise Sheep (a creative retelling of the Nativity!)
One Wise Sheep is a creative retelling of the Christmas story, from the perspective of one wise sheep! With an undercurrent message to young readers on forgiving quarrels.
Tonight, the sheep can’t sleep. The pasture is floodlit by a strange new star, and their shepherds have disappeared to visit a new-born child.
So the sheep set off to find their shepherds and see this child too, the quarrelsome flock pulling together to find their shepherds and the child. The German author wrote this book, after noticing that when the shepherds visit Jesus, no mention is made of the sheep!
While Nativity Plays tell the story of the birth of Jesus, Passion plays tell the story of the Easter resurrection. These are usually performed in the open air, with spectators following the actors.
The wonderful French-Canadian film Jesus of Montreal is based on a group of actors performing a Passion Play.
Moo Free Vegan Advent Calendars
Advent calendars are a great example of the complete consumerist waste evident during the festive season. Advent is the celebration for Christians of the birth of Christ, which for over 1600 years has been celebrated beginning on the 4th Sunday prior to Christmas.
But rather than buying factory-farmed dairy chocolates with palm oil and refined sugar in plastic calendars, choose zero-waste and kinder versions.
Moo Free Chocolate offers Christmas vegan choccy gifts, all in easy-to-recycle packaging. Made with rice milk, these all taste like dairy milk, though they’re not!
Keep chocolate away from pets. You can recycle packaging at supermarket bag bins, if your kerbside does not recycle.
