Programs · Episode

Christmas Carol

Aired: Friday, December 1, 2017 @ 9:00 am
Hosted by Miles Hoffman

Nobody knows for certain where the word “carol” comes from. It may come from the Latin “chorus” by way of the Greek “khoros.” Both words have to do with dancing in a circle, probably while singing.  In this episode, Miles breaks down how the modern interpretation of caroling came to be. 

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Nobody knows for certain where the word “carol” comes from. It may come from the Latin “chorus” by way of the Greek “khoros.” Both words have to do with dancing in a circle, probably while singing. Carol may also be related to the word corolla, which in Latin originally referred to a circle of stones or enclosed circular space. In any case, by the 12^th century “carole” was the common old French word for “to dance.” In England by the 16^th century, caroll, with two L’s, had somehow come to refer to songs, and usually to Christmas songs in particular. 

These days, the Christmas carolers who knock on your door tend to be polite and nicely groomed, but you may want to reflect on the thought that back in the dark ages and before, the original carolers were most likely out there in animal skins, dancing around in circles under the stars and singing songs that, to our ears, sound quite peculiar.

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