5 Oldest Christmas Songs
One of the most important things that makes Christmas feel like Christmas is the songs that are sung during the season. Apart from the carols that are sung in church during the Christmas service and the carol rounds that people make every year, there are other songs too, pop, rock, blues –basically popular music that also has contributed to and taken over the Christmas songs. Although we sing it every year and listen to it every year, most of us do not know how old they are or where they originated from. It is always good to know the history of what we sing and here are some of the oldest Christmas songs.
1. Jesus refulsit Omnium
This could possibly be one of the known oldest Christmas songs of all time. This song is from the 4th century and was composed by St. Hilary of Poitiers.
2. Songs of St francis of Assissi
It was this saint who formally introduced the singing of Christmas carols on churches around the 12th century. Many versions of these songs still remain. These songs however were not as merry as the Christmas songs we have now.
3. The joyous songs of the 14th century
The world had to wait for another two hundred years before the joyous carols could be introduced and sung for Christmas. The earliest English carol to be written was in 1410 by Ritson.
