Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-08
ORIGIN OF THE CHRISTMAS
CAROL TRACED BACK TO
EARLY IN 18TH CENTURY

tions, was made to include an older
festival of the turning of then sun,
and the mistletoe, which had al
ways had profound religious sig
nificance for the Pagans, because
one of the minor symbols of the
Christian feast, and today as we
know, the mistletoe, a relic of Pa
ganism, is an essential part of the
Christmas festivities.
1t is readily seen then, that 1t
took the Christmas carol some time
to appear in its full beauty ana sig
nificance. Pagan songs of the early
Christian period were mostly in the
hands of wandering minstrels and
story tellers. These wandering sing
ers served as newspapers. Their best
songs were remembered and re-
peated to serve as history. Thus
Paganism and Christianity existed
side by side for centuries without
trouble. But the millennial year
was drawing near and men expected
the world to end, or that Christ was
coming to take personal charge OF
His Kingdom. This brought de-
sire in men to perfect themselves for
the second coming. There arose u
desire to eXterminate all that re-
manned of the old world; and in
these years Paganism was stamped
out except for the retaining of sweet
souvenirs like mistletoe and a few
other symbols.
First Christmas Carols
The earliest known Christmas
carol has been traced back to the
thirteenth century. In French, the
word carol - used as early as the
twelfth century-is used to describe
the song-dance of spring and love.
In England, the French word carole
had been adopted about the begin
ming of the fourteenth century-and
was used in a secular sense; but later
it came to be applied almost entirely
to Christmas songs, such as the
French term noels, the Latin equiv
alent meaning birthday (Netalem).
The Nativity Carols pertain to the
Virgin, the Annunciation, the Nativ-
ity, the Childhood of Jeslfs, the
shepherds, the Three Kings and the
Christmas Saints. Then there are
carols of Yuletide festivity, includ-
ing carols of welcome and cheer,
health drinking, carols of the Boris
Head, and of Holly and Ivy. There
are also carols of the Divine Mys-
terry, in which the Incarnation and
the spiritual JOY of Christmas is
sung; in startling contrast to the
riotous mirth handed down from the
days of Yule, the Pagan.
The best and truest form of the
earliest Christmas carol has been
traced to France and Burgundy. To-
day, France is the land of requiems
but the sweet Christmas carols
will return, to sooth and bless and
ladden-Christianit and Christian
songs have not been failures. Man
kind has been the failure-The world
has long been dull of hearing-The
Christmas Message of nineteen GEN.
turies ago is still before us, to be
seen and heard. Much bitter medi-
cine will have to be swallowed be-
fore mankind is we'll; and mankind
will not be entirely recovered until
the Christmas spirit, of peace and
good will, of kindliness and helpful
ness, of unselfishness and sincerity is
practiced-not at Christmastide only
but every day in the year. Let
us sing then as if we were hopeful:
unafraid. In this wartime let us
find solace in song. In time of peace
let us find happiness in song.