Why are they called Christmas 'carols'?

daver852

To 'carol' once meant to dance in a ring or circle; it may be derived from the Greek word 'choraulein.' Eventually words and music were added to accompany the dance, and the word began to refer to the music instead of the dance itself. Dave Dec 10 07, 10:23 AM

AyatollahK

Here's a link to support dave's answer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_%28music%29 "The word carol is derived from the Old French word carole, a circle dance accompanied by singers (in turn derived from the Latin choraula). Carols were very popular as dance songs from the 1150s to the 1350s, after which their use expanded as processional songs sung during festivals, while others were written to accompany religious mystery plays (such as the Coventry Carol, written in 1591). "Following the Protestant Reformation (and the banning of many religious festivities during the British Puritan Interregnum), carols went into a decline due to Calvinist aversion to "nonessential" things associated with Roman Catholicism. However, composers such as William Byrd composed motet-like works for Christmas that they termed carols; and folk-carols continued to be sung in rural areas. Nonetheless, carols did not regain their former popularity until a revival in the 19th century when many surviving non-religious carols were re-discovered and arranged for church use with new Christian lyrics." Dec 10 07, 3:50 PM