The Christmas Carol is a popular religious song that is sung at Christmas time, and is made up of an opening song or chorus in which the theme is announced, and is repeated after each verse.
The Christmas carol is a genre of sung poetry, which is not maintained by an individual but by the entire community. This poetic composition is a popular choral song.
The origin of the Christmas Carol occurred in the fourteenth century in Spain, it did not deal with religious themes, they were popular celebrations with verses in choirs of voices. The Christmas carol entered into the context of leisure, poetry is sung at any time of the day or night.
In subsequent centuries the Christmas carol was predominant in the religious, and increasingly gained more importance as a popular expression of Christmas. Chapel masters of the 16th century had the custom and obligation of their patrons to prepare a different Christmas carol each Christmas, and thus the repertoire was renewed.
That is why the Christmas carol, as we understand it today, is sung only on Christmas dates. Hence, the lyrics are inspired by the Gospel story of Jesus' childhood: the annunciation, the birth, the adoration of the shepherds, the wise men, Bethlehem, the bells, etc.
The musical instruments that accompany these songs can be the flute, the lute, the drum, the castanets, the guitar, the bagpipe, the tambourine, the zambomba, among others; without forgetting the joyous presence of clapping hands.
At present, the carol is traditional and indispensable at Christmas in the countries of Latin America and the rest of Europe. Children and adults sing it with joy and enthusiasm, and the most important thing is that it gives us lessons of unity and solidarity among men of good will, even with different beliefs.
