Caroling isn't just for Christmas any more
Some radio stations play Christmas carols 24 hours a day. Stores are filled with hymns of the season. We certainly sing them in church, and our CD players get a workout with our favorite holiday tunes.
Caroling is a Christmas tradition, but not necessarily just the property of the Christmas season.
"We actually sing them all of the time," said Rev. William Beckman, associate pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Batavia. "Caroling is an ancient word referring to dancing or singing songs of praise and happiness, and it was practiced during all seasons of the year."
Still, it is most clearly related to the Christmas season, and Beckman provided some history and insight into our most cherished holiday-season hymns during his annual presentation last week to the Tri-Cities Exchange Club.
Beckman has offered interesting Christmas trivia, history and lore to his service club for the past 19 years.
The following items will enlighten you about the songs you have heard or sung for many years.
Caroling roots
Beckman believes the earliest carol may have been "Angel's Hymn," a carol that a Roman bishop in 129 A.D. requested be sung at a Christmas service.
"A year later, Pope Telesphorus decreed that all Christian congregations should sing 'Gloria in Excelsis Deo' to recognize the birth of Jesus," Beckman said. "Today, it is still part of the worship liturgy of Catholics, Lutherans and Episcopalians, and you'll recognize it as 'Glory to God in the highest.'"
Beckman said that St. Francis of Assisi should get credit for many of our favorite Christmas traditions, including caroling. He created the holiday tradition of the Nativity scene, and invited children to view the scene and sing songs in their own language.
"They loved it, and probably are the first true Christmas carolers," Beckman said.
Church leaders sometimes took issue with carols because they tended to stray from the words in Scripture, or were based on old drinking songs.
"Before long, though, singing and Christmas seemed to go together and there was no turning back," Beckman said.
Tunes we know well
One could say that "Silent Night" is the best-known of all carols, as it has been translated into at least 230 languages, Beckman said, with its first appearance in English coming in 1863 at Trinity Church in New York City. The Rev. Josef Mohr, a pastor in Oberndorf, Austria, wrote the lyrics in 1818.
"There are six stanzas to the carol," Beckman noted. "But we usually sing only stanzas one, two and six."
Beckman said that "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" was the first carol to carry a significant social message with its emphasis on "peace on earth."
Not a favorite
If there is a carol that Beckman admits he has grown tired of, it is "The Little Drummer Boy."
"It's been used a lot in commercials and it just rubs me the wrong way," Beckman said of the song that first appeared in 1941 by composer Katherine K. Davis but got new life and its name in 1958.
But Beckman acknowledged that many people, including some of importance, were fond of the carol. He said singer Burl Ives performed the song at the White House and reported that it was President Richard Nixon's favorite carol.
On those 12 days
Families that celebrate the 12 days of Christmas through to the Epiphany are likely to be most fond of "We Three Kings of Orient Are," which celebrates the Maji coming to see the Christ child.
A lifelong bachelor named John Henry Hopkins wrote this carol as a gift to his nieces and nephews.
Beckman said Hopkins was a jack-of-all-trades in New York City, working as preacher, magazine editor, stained glass and church furniture manufacturer and also tried law school.
He never fully recovered from being hit by a Broadway horse car, which Beckman said was "the equivalent of getting run over by a taxi."
In finishing his presentation, Beckman said that even though it may seem many of the famous carols originated in Europe, the truth is that America has produced its fair share of religious poets for the Christmas season.
"Whatever Christmas songs you sing this season, and wherever you sing them, the message of peace and hope that the Christmas story brings is definitely worth sharing."
Last chance for toys: The Salvation Army in St. Charles will take last-minute toy donations through Monday, so if you still want to drop something off, contact the headquarters at (630) 377-2769. Gently used toys are considered.
The Marine Corps toy drive is coming to an end, but a need remains. Coordinator Don Haines is still taking last-minute donations of new toys. He can be reached at (630) 377-7328.
dheun@sbcglobal.net