By Verna Davis
TERRE HAUTE — Last Saturday evening, our family was gathered at my mother’s house. My sister’s family had come from Kentucky. My son’s family had come from Indianapolis. A couple of cousins had joined in. There we were. Four children clutching their new toys and contentedly eating cake and ice cream. Eleven adults sitting on every available seat in the living room. We were talking and laughing and missing the ones who weren’t able to be with us.
We were surprised by the ring of the doorbell. Christmas carolers. “Are you Mrs. Adams?” they asked my mother. Then, for 10 minutes, about 15-20 teenagers, huddling in the cold, sang their hearts out. They gave my mother a poinsettia plant, hailed us all with a “Merry Christmas, everyone” and off they went, already discussing where they would go next.
Later, my curious granddaughter asked, “Why do people go Christmas caroling?” I said it was a tradition. She asked, “Why is a tradition?” I said I didn’t know. She asked, “When did people start doing that?” I said I didn’t know. She asked, “Why did they come to Grandma’s house to sing?” Now, that one I did know. They were a group of teenagers called YES – Youth Embracing Service. They had called VistaCare, an organization that gives medical and emotional support to the terminally ill, and asked for the names of their patients. Their visit was the highlight of our evening.
My granddaughter’s questions made me curious. So I went on a fact-finding mission and found out some interesting things. Anyone for a game of Christmas Trivial Pursuit?
For instance, I learned that Christmas was declared a federal holiday by Congress in 1870. Retail stores first began advertising Christmas sales in 1820. In 1867, three years before the federal holiday declaration, Macy’s in New York City stayed open till midnight on Christmas Eve to allow last-minute shoppers time to make their purchases. And in Britain, while Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England ruled that fair land from 1653-1658, his Puritan sensibilities were offended by the excesses of the Christmas celebration, and he cancelled Christmas during his rule. No Christmas trees. No Christmas presents. No Christmas carols. Bah humbug, indeed, Mr. Cromwell.
As for Christmas caroling, I had always pictured well-talented and perfectly-harmonizing singers dressed in Dickens-ish costumes with friendly smiles and happy songs filled with wishes for peace on earth and goodwill to men. You know. Christmas card stuff. But that’s probably not how it all got started.
In 336 A.D., after declaring Christianity as the Roman Empire’s favored religion, Emperor Constantine set aside a day to celebrate Christ’s Mass – December 25 – the day after the two-week long excessive celebration honoring Saturn, the Roman god of the sun. Church leaders agreed, hoping the celebration of the Son of God would bring the people more religion and less orgy. It was a good thought, and it must have worked. After all, when was the last time you knew anyone to celebrate Saturnalia?
But with Christmas coming so close on the heels of all that Roman merry-making, it was bound to take on some of Saturnalia’s festivities for its own. Caroling was one of those things. During Saturnalia, carolers went door to door singing in order to line their pockets with the money they would demand from those to whom they were singing. The carolers kept on singing – probably loudly and off-key to annoy the neighbors – till the homeowner gave them money – probably to stop singing.
The first Christmas carolers did the same thing. Gather a group of friends and knock on someone’s door and start singing. And keep singing till they were given something. I guess we can get a glimpse of that persistent begging in the last two verses of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” You know, where they demand “Now bring us some figgy pudding” and then promise they “won’t go until they get some!” Thank goodness, we’ve outgrown all that and now carolers really do sing of peace and goodwill to all their listeners.
What brought about the change? Why do the carolers of today sing without wanting anything? Why is it that they stand in the cold and in the dark, singing to people sitting in a nice warm house?
Perhaps it’s because thankfully, we are far from Saturnalia. We have chosen to celebrate the birth of a Savior. Sure, there’s a lot of hype and commercialism and way too much food. But when we get right down to it, we know what Christmas is all about. We know why Christmas carolers sing their carols.
It’s because there was a child. A long-awaited Savior who was born in a stable, laid in a manger, heralded by angels, worshiped by shepherds, sought after by wise men.
Think about that Child who was born to set the world free. It just might change how you sing Christmas songs this year.
Verna Davis may be reached through her Web site, www.TheJoyLady.com.
