A carol is actually a festive song. The history of carols is a long one. The word itself comes from Old French carole, a circle dance accompanied by singers. The old Medieval carols were originally sung communally at festivals to celebrate harvest time and Christmas. It was only much later on that the carols were sung in churches and be specifically associated with Christmas.

Some of the oldest carols date back to the Middle ages such as "O Come All Ye Faithful" (Adeste Fidelis) sung here in Latin by Andrea Bocelli, "Good King Wenceslas", "The Holly and the Ivy" and "Christ was born on Christmas Day". The unique sound of these Medieval carols due to their chord patterns have ensured their popularity to this day. 

Clearly these songs inspire jewelry makers too.  Shown above is the Christmas Carols brooch - a laser cut wood design adorned in Mid-Century style by Gema Arnal Jericó, the amazing artisan behind Laliblue.  I featured her work before here. 

Another awesome Christmas carol inspired design is this Rudolph garnet sterling silver stud earrings by Athena of DesignbyAthena.


I also love the sterling silver Rudolph earrings by the metalsmiths behind StickManJewelry.


Let It Snow is the theme of this pair of polymer clay earrings by Kim of HeartfeltWishesCo. 


Naturally, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol" is also another inspiration for jewelry designers. This well made miniature polymer clay earrings of the book cover is by Jemma Houkes of bookonahookCo.




"O Holy Night" is my favorite Christmas carol.  But I did not realise it was originally a French carol until I heard it sung, in French, at elementary school Christmas concerts. Canada is a bilingual nation so Canadian schools like the one my children attended, offer early, middle or late French language immersion programs. The early one is where half the day from kindergarten to Grade 3, is conducted in French.  

The original French poem was composed by Placide Cappeau in 1843 and the now familiar, beautiful melody, by Adolphe Adam in 1847.  American minister, John Sullivan Dwight, came up with the English lyrics in 1855.

I personally think "O Holy Night" is best sung and heard in French. This lovely carol is commonly sung in French language churches at the beginning of Midnight Mass. It is arguably one of the more difficult ones to sing well, even for professional singers.  So it takes a gifted one like Andrea Bocelli to do it justice.  Enjoy his performance for the BBC's Song of Praise, recorded in St Paul's Cathedral in January 2021. 



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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM