The Popularity of the Christmas Carol in the Christian Tradition
Michalis 'BIG Mike' Kotzakolios


Defined Tag: Christmas Carol.

Singing has always been a vital part of the worship experience of the majority of the Christian faiths. Perhaps no better example of worship through singing can be found to match that of the Christmas carol.

The origin of the Christmas carol is a historical event that is lost to antiquity. However, many believe that the tradition originated with St. Francis of Assisi during the 13th century in Italy. St. Francis, who was known to compose a number of hymns, created many enduring works that laid the foundation for a body of work that inspired many later hymn writers. Designed to be easy to remember and sing in both small and large gatherings of the faithful, the idea of a special set of hymns that focused on the birth of Jesus has appealed to many generations since his day.

While the Christmas carol lost some of its stature during the Protestant Reformation, by the early 19th century, the custom was ready to enjoy renewed popularity. Interestingly enough, it was with the writing of the Rev, Edmund Sears, a Unitarian minister, that the singing of a Christmas carol began to enjoy popularity in the United States. Penning the beautiful yet thought provoking "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," Rev. Sears focused on the importance of expressing love and caring for other people, as the most appropriate response to the momentous event of the birth of Jesus. The hymn remains a very popular Christmas carol today and is sung in many churches throughout the country.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" in like manner focused the attention not on the actual birth of Jesus, but on the belief that persons of faith were to carry a ministry of love and caring to all persons who stood in need. The verses of Longfellow's work were in time set to music, and to this day remains one of the most popular carols among not many people.

Just about every Christian denomination shares an abundance of carols with one another, and usually have a few that are unique to each denomination. Today, carols are normally enjoyed in the United States from the Thanksgiving weekend through the New Year. In addition to being sung in worship services, many persons choose to participate in small groups, taking Christmas carols into their neighborhoods and offering them as good wishes for friends and neighbors.

BIG Mike is a well known author, developer and Adsense expert as well as the owner of Niche Maniacs - a unique Adsense Marketing System designed to build long-term passive income streams from Adsense, Amazon, YPN, Chitika and other PPC services.