Christmas Carols
Carols are songs of religious joy sung at a particular season of the year,
especially Christmas. Christmas carols are songs (hymns) where the words
are about Christmas or winter that are sung just before or during Christmas.
There are some early carols which date back to between 1350 and 1550. People
loved to sing carols then. However, in 1647 and during the time of Oliver
Cromwell and the Puritan Parliament, Christmas was cancelled because it was
thought that people were enjoying themselves too much to remember Jesus Christ.
Charles II revived the Christmas festival, but it wasn't until Victorian times
that people became interested in singing carols again. Around 1822 onwards
carols were taught in churches in England and gradually spread elsewhere in
the United Kingdom. The tradition has continued ever since. It is also customary
to give money to carollers who wander the streets singing outside people's homes.