The choice of our blog's name is based on the well-known phrase "London Calling" and Queen Elizabeth II.
Christmas is coming soon, and
the best way to get prepared and enter the christmas spirit is by listening to
christmas songs! Either you love this celebration or not, you know them and I
am sure that sometimes, somewhere as a child or even later, you whispered them.
The
word carol is a
medieval word of French and Anglo-Norman origin, believed to mean a dance song
or a circle dance accompanied by singing. The singing of carols did not
originate with Christianity, but with the pagan practice of celebrating the
seasons. The Winter celebration generally took place in December, and it was
this time of the year that the Christians claimed for their own celebration of
the birth of Christ. Interestingly, although the pagan celebrations took place
during all four seasons, only the winter celebration has survived, not as a
pagan celebration of season, but as the Christian celebration of Christmas. The majority of the first
Christmas Carols were written in Latin, and
only few members of elite and church could actually understand them, so the
carols became really popular later on, when they were written in the language
of common people.
In UK, BBC broadcasts
annually at Christmas Eve, the festival of "Nine lessons and Carols"
watched by millions of people in and out of the country. It is the most famous
carol choir, performing, since 1918, nine bible readings, carols and Christmas
hymns telling the story of Jesus. For the majority of British, the broadcast is
marking the official beginning of the Christmas celebrations.
This is a list
with the UK favourite carols as British voted:
Calypso Carol
See Amid the Winter's Snow
O Holy Night
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
In the Bleak Mid-winter
Silent Night
Hark the Herald Angels Sing
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/christmas/carols_1.shtml#four
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_carol
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2 comments:
What an interesting post! English christmas carols are beautiful. You should post some of the Carols you mentioned! One of my favorites is 'Silent Night'.
I have a doubt, I know Americans do go caroling in the street but do the British do this as well?
Great job with your blog! And as we say in Ireland, Nollaig shona duit! which means Merry Christmas!
I think it is also a British tradition to knock on people's doors to sing Christmas Carols isn`t it? my biggest question is, why does my favorite Carol isn`t in that list? British don't like it?hihihi I love Rudolph's Carol but I now wonder if perhaps it is an American Carol...
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