🎀The History of Caroling🎀

The following video provides a brief history of the caroling tradition, including a description of the earlier practice of wassailing. Get the Christmas workbook

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In this video:

Everyone has heard of going caroling at Christmas time,

but why do we practice this tradition? Where did it come from?

Caroling is a tradition of traveling door to door with family or friends to sing Christmas songs for neighbors. This is a tradition that has been with us for centuries. It dates back to the Middle Ages and an older tradition known as Wassailing.

Wassailing was a tradition which involved peasants visiting the home of their landowner at Christmas time. The peasants would sing songs in exchange for food and drink.

The giving of food or other gifts was an act of charity on the part of the landowners. They were often unkind to the peasants during other times of the year.

Although Wassailing is usually thought of as being exactly like caroling, there was an added level of mischief to the tradition. The wassailers were often rowdy and refused to leave the home until they were satisfied.

If the landowner refused their wishes, the wassailers might threaten a trick or prank (very similar to trick-or-treating at Halloween). Evidence of this once common mischievous behavior can still be seen in some of the older Christmas carols. For example, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” features the line “We won’t go until we get some”.

Today, the wassailing tradition has been carried on into caroling. Tricks are no longer customary, nor is the dispensing of food and drink to the carolers. However, many groups continue to take it upon themselves to entertain their neighbors with songs and fill the air with holiday cheer.