114-527: Twelfth Night (also known as Epiphany Eve depending upon the tradition) is a Christian festival on the last night of the Twelve Days of Christmas , marking the coming of the Epiphany . Different traditions mark the date of Twelfth Night as either 5 January or 6 January , depending on whether the counting begins on Christmas Day or 26 December . January 6 is celebrated as the feast of Epiphany , which begins
228-555: A 1426 work of John Awdlay , a Shropshire chaplain, who lists twenty five "caroles of Cristemas", probably sung by groups of ' wassailers ', who went from house to house. The songs now known specifically as carols were originally communal songs sung during celebrations like harvest tide as well as Christmas. It was only later that carols began to be sung in church, and to be specifically associated with Christmas. Many carols which have gained popularity were printed in Piae Cantiones ,
342-593: A 2012 Pew Research Center survey, if current trends continue, Christianity will remain the world's largest religion by 2050. By 2050, the Christian population is expected to exceed 3 billion. While Muslims have an average of 3.1 children per woman—the highest rate of all religious groups—Christians are second, with 2.7 children per woman. High birth rates and conversion were cited as the reason for Christian population growth . A 2015 study found that approximately 10.2 million Muslims converted to Christianity . Christianity
456-475: A Belén" and " Riu, riu, chiu: El lobo rabioso " and "Los peces en el río". The Nadala or Cançó de Nadal (in plural nadales ) are a popular group of songs, usually requiring a chorus, that are song from Advent until Epiphany . Their written versions starts in the 15th century. In the past were usually being song by shepherds and their families in market squares and in front of churches. The Nadala origins are uncertain but usually cited to be related with
570-716: A German folksong arranged by Ernst Anschütz and "Stille Nacht" (" Silent Night ") by the Austrians Franz Xaver Gruber and Joseph Mohr . The carol most familiar in German besides those two is probably the 19th-century " O du fröhliche ". Other popular and widely sung Christmas carols are "Herbei, o ihr Gläub’gen", which is a German version of "Adeste fideles" (English: " O Come, All Ye Faithful "), Alle Jahre wieder ("Every year again"), Es ist ein Ros entsprungen (lit: "A rose has sprung up"), " Leise rieselt der Schnee " "(Silently
684-532: A bequest of £100 to provide cake and punch every year for the company in residence at the theatre on 6 January. The tradition continues. In Ireland, it is still the tradition to place the statues of the Three Kings in the crib on the Twelfth Night or, at the latest, the following day, Little Christmas . In colonial America, a Christmas wreath was always left up on the front door of each home. When taken down at
798-415: A collection of late medieval Latin songs which was first published in 1582. Early, Latin forms of carols such as " Christ was born on Christmas Day ", " Good Christian Men, Rejoice " and " Good King Wenceslas " can be found in this book. " Adeste Fideles " ("O Come all ye faithful") appears in its current form in the mid-18th century, although the words may have originated in the 13th century. The origin of
912-408: A derisive element in the term Christian to refer to followers of Christ who did not acknowledge the emperor of Rome. The city of Antioch, where someone gave them the name Christians , had a reputation for coming up with such nicknames. However Peter's apparent endorsement of the term led to its being preferred over "Nazarenes" and the term Christianoi from 1 Peter becomes the standard term in
1026-707: A person who follows or adheres to Christianity , a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ . Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words Christ and Christian derive from the Koine Greek title Christós ( Χριστός ), a translation of the Biblical Hebrew term mashiach ( מָשִׁיחַ ) (usually rendered as messiah in English). While there are diverse interpretations of Christianity which sometimes conflict, they are united in believing that Jesus has
1140-478: A plough decked with ribands brought into the barn by a dozen mummers together with a grotesque "Old Bessie" (played by a man), and a Fool dressed in animal skins with a fool's hat. The mummers carry wooden swords and perform revelries. The scene in the novel is illustrated by Hablot Knight Browne ("Phiz"). In the course of the evening, the fool's antics cause a fight to break out, but Mervyn restores order. Three bowls of gin punch are disposed of. At eleven o'clock,
1254-462: A plum cake, and the homage done to them by the draining of wassail bowls of " lamb's-wool ", a drink of sugar, nutmeg, ginger, and ale. Charles Dickens ' 1843 A Christmas Carol briefly mentions Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present visiting a children's Twelfth Night party. In chapter 6 of Harrison Ainsworth 's 1858 novel Mervyn Clitheroe , the eponymous hero is elected King of festivities at
SECTION 10
#17328559910531368-557: A polite request for a treat, and a promise to come back next year for more well-wishing. Almost all the various carols are in the common dekapentasyllabos (15-syllable iamb with a caesura after the 8th syllable) verse, which means that their wording and tunes are easily interchangeable. This has given rise to a great number of local variants, parts of which often overlap or resemble one another in verse, tune, or both. Nevertheless, their musical variety remains very wide overall: for example carols from Epirus are strictly pentatonic , in
1482-452: A political context, is Ṣalībī ( صليبي ' Crusader ' ) from ṣalīb ( صليب ' cross ' ), which refers to Crusaders and may have negative connotations. However, Ṣalībī is a modern term; historically, Muslim writers described European Christian Crusaders as al-Faranj or Alfranj ( الفرنج ) and Firinjīyah ( الفرنجيّة ) in Arabic. This word comes from the name of
1596-577: A religious nature, but not directly related to the birth of Jesus. For example: Antiquarians in the 19th-century rediscovered early carols in museums. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica , about 500 have been found. Some are wassailing songs, some are religious songs in English, some are in Latin, and some are " macaronic " — a mixture of English and Latin. Since most people did not understand Latin,
1710-479: A religious theme, but are often still referred to as "carols". For example, the 16th-century song "A Bone, God Wot!" appears to be a wassailing song (which is sung during drinking or while requesting ale), but is described in the British Library 's Cottonian Collection as a Christmas carol. As recently as 1865, Christmas-related lyrics were adopted for the traditional English folk song " Greensleeves ", becoming
1824-745: A report commissioned by the United Kingdom's Secretary of State of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to investigate global persecution of Christians found religious persecution has increased, and is highest in the Middle East, North Africa, India, China, North Korea, and Latin America, among others, and that it is global and not limited to Islamic states. This investigation found that approximately 80% of persecuted believers worldwide are Christians. Etymology Christmas carol A Christmas carol
1938-492: A review of the Nobel Prizes award between 1901 and 2000 reveals that (65.4%) of Nobel Prizes Laureates, have identified Christianity in its various forms as their religious preference. In 2017, Open Doors , a human rights NGO , estimated approximately 260 million Christians are subjected annually to "high, very high, or extreme persecution", with North Korea considered the most hazardous nation for Christians. In 2019,
2052-540: A scientific book on German Christmas carols which is also a song book. Greek tradition calls for children to go out with triangles from house to house on Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and Epiphany Eve, and sing the corresponding folk carols, called the Kalanta or Kalanda or Kalanta Christougenon , the word deriving from the Roman calends ). There are separate carols for each of the three great feasts, referring respectively to
2166-525: A third of the world's population and is the largest religion in the world. Christians have composed about 33 percent of the world's population for around 100 years. The largest Christian denomination is the Roman Catholic Church , with 1.3 billion adherents, representing half of all Christians. Christianity remains the dominant religion in the Western World , where 70% are Christians. According to
2280-411: A unique significance. The term Christian used as an adjective is descriptive of anything associated with Christianity or Christian churches , or in a proverbial sense "all that is noble, and good, and Christ-like." According to a 2011 Pew Research Center survey, there were 2.2 billion Christians around the world in 2010, up from about 600 million in 1910. Today, about 37% of all Christians live in
2394-720: A unique significance." Michael Martin evaluated three historical Christian creeds (the Apostles' Creed , the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed ) to establish a set of basic Christian assumptions which include belief in theism , the historicity of Jesus , the Incarnation , salvation through faith in Jesus, and Jesus as an ethical role model. The identification of Jesus as the Messiah
SECTION 20
#17328559910532508-514: A university degree in institutions of higher education (67%), followed by the Christians of Israel (63%), and the Christians of Georgia (57%). According to the study, Christians in North America , Europe , Middle East , North Africa and Asia Pacific regions are highly educated since many of the world's universities were built by the historic Christian denominations , in addition to
2622-523: Is a carol ( a song or hymn ) on the theme of Christmas , traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during the surrounding Christmas and holiday season . The term noel has sometimes been used, especially for carols of French origin. Christmas carols may be regarded as a subset of the broader category of Christmas music . The first known Christmas hymns may be traced to 4th-century Rome. Latin hymns such as Veni redemptor gentium , written by Ambrose , Archbishop of Milan , were austere statements of
2736-545: Is a tradition of Christmas caroling (earlier known as wassailing ), in which groups of singers travel from house to house, singing carols at each, for which they are often rewarded with gifts, money, mince pies, or a glass of an appropriate beverage. Money collected in this way is now normally given to charity. Singing carols in church was instituted on Christmas Eve 1880 in Truro Cathedral , Cornwall, (see article on Nine Lessons and Carols ), and now seen in churches all over
2850-749: Is celebrated by western Christians as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple . During the Socialist Republic of Romania in the 20th century, Christmas carols were banned by the government of Ceacuescu. Days following the Romanian Revolution in 1989, Christmas carols were sung for the first time in 42 years. The villancico (or vilancete in Portuguese) was a common poetic and musical form of
2964-586: Is consequently rarely available today. The Oxford Book of Carols , first published in 1928 by Oxford University Press (OUP), was a notably successful collection; edited by the British composers Martin Shaw and Ralph Vaughan Williams , along with clergyman and author Percy Dearmer , it became a widely used source of carols in among choirs and church congregations in Britain and remains in print today. The singing of carols
3078-563: Is counted as the Twelfth Night. In these traditions, Twelfth Night is the same as Epiphany. However, some consider Twelfth Night to be the eve of the Twelfth Day (in the same way that Christmas Eve comes before Christmas), and thus consider Twelfth Night to be on 5 January . The difficulty may come from the use of the words "eve" which is defined as "the day or evening before an event", however, especially in antiquated usage could be used to simply mean "evening". Bruce Forbes writes: In 567
3192-550: Is eaten all month long. The cakes vary depending on the region; in northern France, it is called a galette and is filled with frangipane , fruit, or chocolate. In the south, it is more of a brioche with candied fruit. Twelfth Night in the Netherlands became so secularised, rowdy, and boisterous that public celebrations were banned by the Church. In some places, particularly South West England , Old Twelfth Night (or "Old Twelvey")
3306-513: Is generally understood to be derived from Nazarenes , believers of Jesus of Nazareth through Syriac (Aramaic); Masīḥī ( مسيحي ) means followers of the Messiah. Where there is a distinction, Naṣrānī refers to people from a Christian culture and Masīḥī is used by Christians themselves for those with a religious faith in Jesus. In some countries Naṣrānī tends to be used generically for non-Muslim Western foreigners. Another Arabic word sometimes used for Christians, particularly in
3420-515: Is growing in Africa , Asia, Eastern Europe , Latin America , the Muslim world , and Oceania . According to a study from 2015, Christians hold the largest amount of wealth (55% of the total world wealth), followed by Muslims (5.8%), Hindus (3.3%) and Jews (1.1%). According to the same study it was found that adherents under the classification Irreligion or other religions hold about 34.8% of
3534-538: Is linguistically dated to the beginning of the High Middle Ages , ca. 1000 AD; it is traditionally associated with the city of Kotyora in the Pontos (modern-day Ordu , Turkey). Most carols follow a more or less standard format: they begin by exalting the relevant religious feast, then proceed to offer praises for the lord and lady of the house, their children, the household and its personnel, and usually conclude with
Twelfth Night (holiday) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3648-622: Is not accepted by Judaism. The term for a Christian in Hebrew is נוֹצְרִי ( Notzri ' Nazarene ' ), a Talmudic term originally derived from the fact that Jesus came from the Galilean village of Nazareth, today in northern Israel. Adherents of Messianic Judaism are referred to in modern Hebrew as יְהוּדִים מְשִׁיחִיִּים ( Yehudim Meshihi'im ' Messianic Jews ' ). In Arabic-speaking cultures , two words are commonly used for Christians: Naṣrānī ( نصراني ), plural Naṣārā ( نصارى )
3762-557: Is still celebrated on 17 January. This continues the custom of the Apple Wassail on the date that corresponded to 6 January on the Julian calendar at the time of the change in calendars enacted by the Calendar Act of 1750 . It is unknown whether Shakespeare 's play Twelfth Night, or What You Will was written to be performed as a Twelfth Night entertainment, since there is no record of
3876-785: Is the " Carol of the Bells ", with English lyrics by the American composer of Ukrainian descent Peter J. Wilhousky , composed by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych as " Shchedryk ", and premiered in December 1916 by a choral group made up of students at Kyiv University . Although it is a Christmas carol in Wilhousky's English lyrics, in original Ukrainian lyrics it is a Generous Eve carol ( shchedrivka [ uk ] , Ukrainian: щедрівка ), having nothing with Christianity. Christmas music performed in
3990-515: Is the middle of summer at Christmas, there is a tradition of Carols by Candlelight concerts held outdoors at night in cities and towns across the country, during the weeks leading up to Christmas. First held in Melbourne, "Carols by Candlelight" is held each Christmas Eve in capital cities and many smaller cities and towns around Australia. Performers at the concerts include opera singers, musical theatre performers and popular music singers. People in
4104-571: Is this that gives them their uniquely characteristic musical sound. Some carols like " Personent hodie ", " Good King Wenceslas ", and " The Holly and the Ivy " can be traced directly back to the Middle Ages , and are among the oldest musical compositions still regularly sung. Compositions continue to be written that become popular carols. For example, many of the carols written by Alfred Burt are sung regularly in both sacred and secular settings, and are among
4218-693: The Americas , about 26% live in Europe , 24% live in sub-Saharan Africa , about 13% live in Asia and the Pacific , and 1% live in the Middle East and North Africa . Christians make up the majority of the population in 158 countries and territories. 280 million Christians live as a minority . About half of all Christians worldwide are Catholic , while more than a third are Protestant (37%). Orthodox communions comprise 12% of
4332-587: The Australian Broadcasting Commission ). These referred to the hot dry December of the Australian outback, dancing brolgas (a native Australian crane), and similar Australian features. The " Huron Carol " (or "Twas in the Moon of Wintertime") is a Canadian Christmas hymn (Canada's oldest Christmas song), written probably in 1642 by Jean de Brébeuf , a Jesuit missionary at Sainte-Marie among
4446-471: The Council of Tours proclaimed that the entire period between Christmas and Epiphany should be considered part of the celebration, creating what became known as the twelve days of Christmas, or what the English called Christmastide . On the last of the twelve days, called Twelfth Night, various cultures developed a wide range of additional special festivities. The variation extends even to the issue of how to count
4560-633: The Early Church Fathers from Ignatius and Polycarp onwards. The earliest occurrences of the term in non-Christian literature include Josephus , referring to "the tribe of Christians, so named from him;" Pliny the Younger in correspondence with Trajan ; and Tacitus , writing near the end of the 1st century. In the Annals he relates that "by vulgar appellation [they were] commonly called Christians" and identifies Christians as Nero 's scapegoats for
4674-473: The Epiphanytide season. A superstition in some English-speaking countries suggests it is unlucky to leave Christmas decorations hanging after Twelfth Night, a tradition also variously attached to Candlemas (which marks the end of Epiphanytide on 2 February), as well as Good Friday , Shrove Tuesday , and Septuagesima . Other popular customs include eating king cake , singing Christmas carols , chalking
Twelfth Night (holiday) - Misplaced Pages Continue
4788-620: The Franks and can be seen in the Arab history text Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh by Ali ibn al-Athir . The most common Persian word is Masīhī ( مسیحی ), from Arabic . Other words are Nasrānī ( نصرانی ), from Syriac for ' Nazarene ' , and Tarsā ( ترسا ), from the Middle Persian word Tarsāg , also meaning ' Christian ' , derived from tars , meaning ' fear, respect ' . An old Kurdish word for Christian frequently in usage
4902-699: The Great Fire of Rome . Another term for Christians which appears in the New Testament is Nazarenes . Jesus is named as a Nazarene in Matthew 2:23 , while Paul is said to be Nazarene in Acts 24:5 . The latter verse makes it clear that Nazarene also referred to the name of a sect or heresy, as well as the town called Nazareth. The term Nazarene was also used by the Jewish lawyer Tertullus ( Against Marcion 4:8), who records
5016-674: The Greek Septuagint , christos was used to translate the Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ ( Mašíaḥ , ' messiah '), meaning "[one who is] anointed". In other European languages, equivalent words to Christian are likewise derived from the Greek, such as chrétien in French and cristiano in Spanish. The abbreviations Xian and Xtian (and similarly formed other parts of speech) have been used since at least
5130-471: The Iberian Peninsula and Latin America popular from the late 15th to 18th centuries. With the decline in popularity of the villancicos in the 20th century, the term became reduced to mean merely "Christmas carol". Important composers of villancicos were Juan del Encina , Pedro de Escobar , Francisco Guerrero, Gaspar Fernandes and Juan Gutiérez de Padilla. Popular Spanish villancicos include "Los pastores
5244-508: The Montseny and Pedraforca mountains in Catalonia (by the counties of Osona and Girona ). As quite a few have references to mythological events and powers, some authors claim that they contain part of the religion that was present in the territory before Christianity arrived as it was kept alive in these mountainous regions. The nadala is usually paired with the caramella , being one for
5358-842: The Nativity , to St. Basil and the New Year, and to the Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan , along with wishes for the household. In addition to the carols for the winter festive season , there are also the springtime or Lenten carols, commonly called the "Carols of Lazarus ", sung on the Saturday before Palm Sunday as a harbinger of the Resurrection of Christ to be celebrated a week later. In older times, caroling children asked for and were given edible gifts such as dried fruit, eggs, nuts or sweets; during
5472-483: The education of women , which led to the eradication of illiteracy among females in Protestant communities. Christian culture describes the cultural practices common to Christian peoples. There are variations in the application of Christian beliefs in different cultures and traditions. Christian culture has influenced and assimilated much from the Greco-Roman , Byzantine , Western culture , Middle Eastern , Slavic , Caucasian , and Indian cultures . Since
5586-446: The tortell and king cake , are baked on Twelfth Night, and eaten the following day for the Feast of the Epiphany celebrations. In parts of Kent, there is a tradition that an edible decoration would be the last part of Christmas to be removed in the Twelfth Night and shared amongst the family. The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London has had a tradition since 1795 of providing a Twelfth Night cake. The will of Robert Baddeley made
5700-405: The winter solstice events while the other to the spring equinox . Ukrainian Christmas carols are named kolyadka ( Ukrainian : колядки ). They were originally sung to celebrate the birth of the Sun (winter solstice). After the incorporation into Christianity, their theme has been shifted to Christmas, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. The Ukrainian carol most known to the Western World
5814-407: The 12th century the Parisian monk Adam of Saint Victor began to derive music from popular songs, introducing something closer to the traditional Christmas carol. In the 13th century, in France, Germany, and particularly, Italy, under the influence of Francis of Assisi , a strong tradition of popular Christmas songs in regional native languages developed. Christmas carols in English first appear in
SECTION 50
#17328559910535928-478: The 16th and 17th centuries before the religion was banned by the Tokugawa shogunate . Today, Christians are referred to in Standard Japanese as キリスト教徒 ( Kirisuto-kyōto ) or the English-derived term クリスチャン ( kurisuchan ). Korean still uses 기독교도 ( RR : Gidokkyodo ) for ' Christian ' , though the Portuguese loanword 그리스도 (RR: Geuriseudo ) now replaced the old Sino-Korean 기독 (RR: Gidok ), which refers to Christ himself. In Thailand,
6042-494: The 17th century: Oxford English Dictionary shows a 1634 use of Xtianity and Xian is seen in a 1634–38 diary. The word Xmas uses a similar contraction. The first recorded use of the term (or its cognates in other languages) is in the New Testament , in Acts 11 after Barnabas brought Saul (Paul) to Antioch where they taught the disciples for about a year. The text says that "the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch" ( Acts 11:26 ). The second mention of
6156-452: The 19th century helped to widen the popular appeal of carols. " God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen ", " The First Noel ", " I Saw Three Ships " and " Hark! The Herald Angels Sing " appear in English antiquarian William Sandys ' 1833 collection Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern . Composers such as Arthur Sullivan helped to repopularise the carol, and it is this period that gave rise to such favourites as " Good King Wenceslas " and " It Came Upon
6270-580: The 20th century this was gradually replaced with money gifts – ranging from small change in the case of strangers to considerable amounts in the case of close relatives. Caroling is also done by marching bands, choirs, school students seeking to raise funds for trips or charity, members of folk societies, or merely by groups of well-wishers. Many internationally known carols, e.g. " Silent Night " and " O Tannenbaum ", are also sung in Greek translation. Many carols are regional, being popular in specific regions but unknown in others, whereas some are popular throughout
6384-451: The English language" and "one of the greatest short stories ever written". Its adaptations include a play, a Broadway musical , and two films. The story begins at the bustling and sumptuous annual dance hosted by Kate Morkan and Julia Morkan, aunts to Gabriel Conroy, the main character. Throughout the festivities, a series of minor obligations and awkward encounters leaves Gabriel with a sense of unease, inducing self-doubt, or at least doubt in
6498-623: The Hurons in Canada. In accordance with a medieval tradition, the Christmas Peace is declared every year on Christmas Eve in Porvoo , Finland, with a local band and male choir performing Christmas carols. "Dans cette étable" and "Venez Divin Messie" are also popular Christmas carols. Perhaps the best known traditional French carol, " Il est né, le divin Enfant ", comes from the region of Provence . Some carols familiar in English are translations of German Christmas songs ( Weihnachtslieder ). Pastoral Weihnachtslieder are sometimes called Hirtenlieder ("shepherd songs"). Martin Luther wrote
6612-414: The Midnight Clear ", a New England carol written by Edmund H. Sears and Richard S. Willis. The publication in 1871 of Christmas Carols, New and Old by Henry Ramsden Bramley and Sir John Stainer was a significant contribution to a revival of carols in Victorian Britain . In 1916, Charles Lewis Hutchins published Carols Old and Carols New , a scholarly collection which suffered from a short print run and
6726-405: The Roman Empire as it tried to coordinate the solar Julian calendar with the lunar calendars of its provinces in the east." In medieval and Tudor England , Candlemas traditionally marked the end of the Christmas season , although later, Twelfth Night came to signal the end of Christmastide, with a new but related season of Epiphanytide running until Candlemas. A popular Twelfth Night tradition
6840-470: The Russian term крестьяне ( khrest'yane ) acquired the meaning ' peasants of Christian faith ' and later ' peasants ' (the main part of the population of the region), while the term Russian : христиане ( khristiane ) retained its religious meaning and the term Russian : русские ( russkie ) began to mean representatives of the heterogeneous Russian nation formed on the basis of common Christian faith and language, which strongly influenced
6954-404: The Twelfth Night celebrations held in Tom Shakeshaft's barn by receiving the slice of plum cake containing the bean; his companion Cissy obtains the pea and becomes queen, and they are seated together in a high corner to view the proceedings. The distribution has been rigged to prevent another person from gaining the role. The festivities include country dances, the introduction of a " Fool Plough ",
SECTION 60
#17328559910537068-402: The Twelve Days of Christmas are counted from sundown on the evening of 25 December until the morning of 6 January , meaning that the Twelfth Night falls on the evening 5 January and the Twelfth Day falls on 6 January . However, in some church traditions only full days are counted, so that 5 January is counted as the Eleventh Day, 6 January as the Twelfth Day, and the evening of 6 January
7182-453: The Western world, Christians has had an influence and contributed on various cultures, such as in Africa, the Near East, Middle East, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Christians have made noted contributions to a range of fields, including philosophy, science and technology , medicine , fine arts and architecture , politics , literatures , music , and business . According to 100 Years of Nobel Prizes
7296-504: The accompaniment of his song cycle Weihnachtslieder , Op. 8. Other examples include: In Austria, Belgium and Germany, Epiphany , the last feast of the Christmas season, is marked by star singers , children dressing as the Three Kings , carrying a star on a pole. Going from house to house from New Year's Day to 6 January, the children sing religious songs and collect money for charity. They are often rewarded with extra sweets or money. In Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, where it
7410-571: The audience hold lit candles and join in singing some of the carols in accompaniment with the celebrities. Similar events are now held all over Australia, usually arranged by churches, municipal councils, or other community groups. They are normally held on Christmas Eve or the Sunday or weekend before Christmas. A similar recent trend in South Africa and New Zealand are for smaller towns to host their own Carols by Candlelight concerts. William Garnet "Billy" James (1892–1977) wrote music for Christmas carol lyrics written by John Wheeler (both men worked for
7524-470: The best known was originally entitled "Hark! How All the Welkin Rings", later edited to " Hark! the Herald Angels Sing ". A tune from a cantata, Festgesang , by Felix Mendelssohn in 1840 was adapted by William H. Cummings to fit Wesley's words. This combination first appeared in "Hymns Ancient and Modern" in 1861. " Silent Night " comes from Austria. The carol was first performed in the Nikolauskirche in Oberndorf on 24 December 1818. Mohr had composed
7638-497: The better known modern Christmas carols. Almost all the well-known carols were not sung in church until the second half of the 19th century. Hymns Ancient and Modern 1861–1874 included several carols. Isaac Watts , the "father of English hymnody", composed " Joy to the World ", which has become a popular Christmas carol even though it is widely believed that Watts did not write it to be sung only at Christmas. Charles Wesley wrote texts for at least three Christmas carols, of which
7752-554: The birth of Christ; this is often based on the famous Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College, Cambridge . In the 1680s and 1690s, two French composers incorporated carols into their works. Louis-Claude Daquin wrote 12 noels for organ. Marc-Antoine Charpentier wrote a few instrumental versions of noels, plus one major choral work Messe de minuit pour Noël . Johann Sebastian Bach included Christmas carols in his cantatas for Christmastide , including his Christmas Oratorio . Peter Cornelius included carol melodies in
7866-429: The carol " Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her ", which can be acted as a play of the Christmas story . He also wrote " Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ " and " Christum wir sollen loben schon ". The carol " Vom Himmel hoch, o Engel, kommt " was written by Friedrich Spee in 1622 to an older melody, a lullaby singing "of Jesus and Mary", and for peace. Two well-known later examples are " O Tannenbaum " (O Christmas tree), from
7980-419: The central role of the Western world and Western culture . Western culture, throughout most of its history, has been nearly equivalent to Christian culture, and a large portion of the population of the Western Hemisphere can be described as practicing or nominal Christians. The notion of "Europe" and the "Western World" has been intimately connected with the concept of "Christianity and Christendom". Outside
8094-402: The circumstances of its composition. The earliest known performance took place at Middle Temple Hall , one of the Inns of Court , on Candlemas night, 2 February 1602. The play has many elements that are reversed, in the tradition of Twelfth Night, such as a woman Viola dressing as a man, and a servant Malvolio imagining that he can become a nobleman. Ben Jonson 's The Masque of Blackness
8208-515: The country's rich history of early Christianity during the Spanish colonial era . Some Protestants in the Philippines use the term Kristiyano (before the term born again became popular) to differentiate themselves from Catholics ( Katoliko ). The region of modern Eastern Europe and Central Eurasia has a long history of Christianity and Christian communities on its lands. In ancient times, in
8322-401: The day when the nativity story tells us that the wise men visited the infant Jesus". In 567 A.D, the Council of Tours "proclaimed the twelve days from Christmas to Epiphany as a sacred and festive season, and established the duty of Advent fasting in preparation for the feast." Christopher Hill, as well as William J. Federer, states that this was done to solve the "administrative problem for
8436-459: The days. If Christmas Day is the first of the twelve days, then Twelfth Night would be on January 5, the eve of Epiphany. If December 26, the day after Christmas, is the first day, then Twelfth Night falls on January 6, the evening of Epiphany itself. The Church of England , Mother Church of the Anglican Communion , celebrates Twelfth Night on the 5th and "refers to the night before Epiphany,
8550-515: The door , having one's house blessed , merrymaking, and attending church services . In many Western ecclesiastical traditions such as the Lutheran and Anglican denominations of Christianity, Christmas Day is considered the "First Day of Christmas" and the Twelve Days are 25 December – 5 January , inclusive, making Twelfth Night on 5 January , which is Epiphany Eve. In some customs,
8664-425: The early morning hours. This destination for Gabriel kindles both erotic possibility and deep love. However, at the hotel, Gretta, moved by a song they had just heard sung at the party, offers a tearful, long-withheld revelation that momentarily shatters Gabriel's feelings of warmth, leaving him shaken and bewildered. After Gretta drifts off to sleep, Gabriel, still rapt in the emotional wake of her revelation, gazes out
8778-664: The end of the Twelve Days of Christmas , any edible portions would be consumed with the other foods of the feast. The same held true in the 19th–20th centuries with fruits adorning Christmas trees . Fresh fruits were hard to come by and were therefore considered fine and proper gifts and decorations for the tree, wreaths, and home. Again, the tree would be taken down on the Twelfth Night, and such fruits, along with nuts and other local produce used, would then be consumed. Modern American Carnival traditions are seen across former French colonies , most notably in New Orleans and Mobile . In
8892-735: The first centuries after the birth of Christ, when this region was called Scythia, the geographical area of Scythians – Christians already lived there. Later the region saw the first states to adopt Christianity officially – initially Armenia (301 AD) and Georgia (337 AD), later Bulgaria ( c. 864) and Kyivan Rus ( c. 988 AD). In some areas, people came to denote themselves as Christians ( Russian : христиане, крестьяне ; Ukrainian : християни , romanized : khrystyiany ) and as Russians ( Russian : русские ), Ruthenians ( Old East Slavic : русини, руснаки , romanized: rusyny, rusnaky ), or Ukrainians ( Ukrainian : українці , romanized : ukraintsi ). In time
9006-481: The highest numbers of years of schooling among Christians were found in Germany (13.6), New Zealand (13.5) and Estonia (13.1). Christians were also found to have the second highest number of graduate and post-graduate degrees per capita while in absolute numbers ranked in the first place (220 million). Between the various Christian communities , Singapore outranks other nations in terms of Christians who obtain
9120-467: The historical evidence that "Christian monks built libraries and, in the days before printing presses, preserved important earlier writings produced in Latin, Greek and Arabic". According to the same study, Christians have a significant amount of gender equality in educational attainment, and the study suggests that one of the reasons is the encouragement of the Protestant Reformers in promoting
9234-494: The history and development of the region. In the region, the term Orthodox faith ( Russian : православная вера , pravoslavnaia vera ) or Russian faith ( Russian : русская вера , russkaia vera ) from the earliest times became almost as common as the original Christian faith ( Russian : христианская, крестьянская вера khristianskaia, krestianskaia ). Also in some contexts the term cossack ( Old East Slavic : козак, казак , romanized: kozak, kazak )
9348-591: The implication is that these songs were composed for church choristers, or perhaps for an educated audience at the Royal courts. The most famous survival of these early macaronic carols is "The Boar's Head". The tradition of singing carols outside of church services early in the 19th century is best illustrated by Thomas Hardy 's novel Under the Greenwood Tree (1872). In England and other countries, such as Poland (kolęda), Romania ( colindă ) and Bulgaria ( koledari ), there
9462-550: The influence of indigenous, Hispanic and American musical traditions, reflecting the country's complex history . Carollers ( Tagalog : Namamaskô ) begin wassailing in November, with mostly children and young adults participating in the custom. Christmas carols are very popular in Poland, where they have a long history, the oldest dating to the 15th century or earlier. There is a tradition of singing Christmas carols until 2 February which
9576-523: The internationally popular Christmas carol " What Child is This? ". Little research has been conducted on carol singing, but one of the few sociological studies of caroling in the early 21st century in Finland determined that the sources of songs are often misunderstood, and that it is simplistic to suggest caroling is mostly related to Christian beliefs, for it also reinforces preservation of diverse national customs and local family traditions. A modern form of
9690-584: The kind of drone polyphony practised in the Balkans , and accompanied by C- clarinets and fiddles ; just across the straits, on Corfu Island, the style is tempered harmonic polyphony, accompanied by mandolins and guitars. Generally speaking, the musical style of each carol closely follows the secular music tradition of each region. The most popular Italian Christmas carol is " Tu scendi dalle stelle ", written in 1732 by Saint Alphonsus Liguori . Christmas carols in predominantly Catholic Philippines exhibit
9804-526: The larger category as Christian. Most Baptists and fundamentalists ( Christian Fundamentalism ), for example, would not acknowledge Mormonism or Christian Science as Christian. In fact, the nearly 77 percent of Americans who self-identify as Christian are a diverse pluribus of Christianities that are far from any collective unity. Linda Woodhead attempts to provide a common belief thread for Christians by noting that "Whatever else they might disagree about, Christians are at least united in believing that Jesus has
9918-509: The mid-twentieth century, friends gathered for weekly king cake parties. Whoever got the slice with the "king", usually in the form of a miniature baby doll (symbolic of the Christ Child , "Christ the King"), hosted the next week's party. Traditionally, this was a bean for the king and a pea for the queen. Parties centred around king cakes are no longer common and king cake today is usually brought to
10032-635: The most common terms are คนคริสต์ ( RTGS : khon khrit ) or ชาวคริสต์ (RTGS: chao khrit ) which literally means ' Christ person/people ' or ' Jesus person/people ' . The Thai word คริสต์ (RTGS: khrit ) is derived from Christ . In the Philippines , the most common terms are Kristiyano (for ' Christian ' ) and {{lang[fil|Kristiyanismo}} (for ' Christianity ' ) in most Philippine languages ; both derive from Spanish cristiano and cristianismo (also used in Chavacano ) due to
10146-447: The most traditional ones go back many centuries. The punch called wassail is consumed especially on Twelfth Night and throughout Christmas time, especially in the UK. Door-to-door wassailing (similar to singing Christmas carols ) as well as orchard wassailing were both historically common in the UK and are still practiced to a certain extent today. Around the world, special pastries, such as
10260-699: The past, the Malays used to call Christians in Malay by the Portuguese loanword Serani (from Arabic Naṣrānī ), but the term now refers to the modern Kristang creoles of Malaysia . In the Indonesian language , the term Nasrani is also used alongside Kristen . The Chinese word is 基督 徒 ( jīdū tú ), literally ' Christ follower ' . The name Christ was originally phonetically written in Chinese as 基利斯督 , which
10374-526: The person he presents himself as. This unease sharpens during a dinner speech in which Gabriel grandiosely ponders whether because "...we are living in a skeptical and, if I may use the phrase, a thought-tormented age", the generation currently coming of age in Ireland will begin to "lack those qualities of humanity, of hospitality, of kindly humor which belonged to an older day." High spirits and singing soon resume. Gabriel and his wife Gretta depart for their hotel in
10488-524: The phrase "the Jews call us Nazarenes." While around 331 AD Eusebius records that Christ was called a Nazoraean from the name Nazareth , and that in earlier centuries "Christians" were once called "Nazarenes". The Hebrew equivalent of Nazarenes , Notzrim , occurs in the Babylonian Talmud , and is still the modern Israeli Hebrew term for Christian. A wide range of beliefs and practices are found across
10602-492: The practice of caroling can be seen in " Dial-A-Carol ," an annual tradition held by students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , wherein potential audiences call the singers to request a performance over phone call. It is not clear whether the word carol derives from the French "carole" or the Latin "carula" meaning a circular dance. Traditionally, carols have often been based on medieval chord patterns, and it
10716-568: The snow is falling)", " Tochter Zion, freue dich " (Daughter Zion, rejoice) and " Es ist für uns eine Zeit angekommen " ("Unto us a time has come"). " Lasst uns froh und munter sein " ("Let us be happy and cheerful"), " Kling, Glöckchen ", ("Ring, Little Bell"), " Ihr Kinderlein, kommet " ("Oh, come, little children") and " Schneeflöckchen, Weißröckchen " (lit.: "tiny snowflake, white, tiny skirt") are popular German songs introduced in Kindergarten and primary school . Ingeborg Weber-Kellermann wrote
10830-502: The spread of Christianity from the Levant to Europe and North Africa and Horn of Africa during the early Roman Empire , Christendom has been divided in the pre-existing Greek East and Latin West . Consequently, different versions of the Christian cultures arose with their own rites and practices, centered around the cities such as Rome ( Western Christianity ) and Carthage , whose communities
10944-544: The term follows in Acts 26 , where Herod Agrippa II replied to Paul the Apostle , "Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." ( Acts 26:28 ). The third and final New Testament reference to the term is in 1 Peter 4 , which exhorts believers: "Yet if [any man suffer] as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf." ( 1 Peter 4:16 ). Kenneth Samuel Wuest holds that all three original New Testament verses' usages reflect
11058-628: The theological doctrine of the Incarnation in opposition to Arianism . Corde natus ex Parentis ( Of the Father's heart begotten ) by the Spanish poet Prudentius (d. 413) is still sung in some churches today. In the 9th and 10th centuries, the Christmas sequence (or prose) was introduced in Northern European monasteries, developing under Bernard of Clairvaux into a sequence of rhymed stanzas . In
11172-410: The total global wealth. A study done by the nonpartisan wealth research firm New World Wealth found that 56.2% of the 13.1 million millionaires in the world were Christians. A Pew Center study about religion and education around the world in 2016, found that Christians ranked as the second most educated religious group around in the world after Jews with an average of 9.3 years of schooling, and
11286-768: The tune is disputed. Carols gained in popularity after the Reformation in the countries where Protestant churches gained prominence (as well-known Reformers like Martin Luther authored carols and encouraged their use in worship). This was a consequence of the fact that the Lutheran reformation warmly welcomed music. During the years that the Puritan ban on Christmas was in place in England, semi-clandestine religious services marking Christ's birth continued to be held, and people sang carols in secret. The publication of Christmas music books in
11400-650: The two countries. Examples of the latter are the Peloponnesian Christmas carol "Christoúgenna, Prōtoúgenna" ("Christmas, Firstmas"), the Constantinopolitan Christmas carol "Kalēn hespéran, árchontes" ("Good evening, lords"), and the New Year's carol "Archimēniá ki archichroniá" ("First of the month, first of the year"). The oldest known carol, commonly referred to as the "Byzantine Carol" ( Byzantine Greek : Άναρχος θεός καταβέβηκεν, Ánarkhos Theós katabébēken , "God, who has no beginning, descended"),
11514-399: The window at the falling snow and experiences a profound and unifying epiphany, one that reconciles the fears, doubts, and façades that had haunted him throughout the evening and, he seems to recognise, throughout his life to that point. (drawn from Hone's Every-Day Book, references as found): Christian A Christian ( / ˈ k r ɪ s tʃ ən , - t i ə n / ) is
11628-438: The words much earlier, in 1816, but on Christmas Eve brought them to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment for the church service. The first English translation was in 1871 where it was published in a Methodist hymnal. Several different Christmas episodes, apart from the birth of Jesus itself, are described in Christmas carols, such as: In addition, some carols describe Christmas-related events of
11742-512: The workplace or served at parties, the recipient of the plastic baby being obligated to bring the next king cake to the next function. In some countries, Twelfth Night and Epiphany mark the start of the Carnival season, which lasts through Mardi Gras Day. In Spain, Twelfth Night is called Cabalgata de Reyes ("Parade of Kings"), and historically the "kings" would go through towns and hand out sweets. In France, La Galette des Rois ("Kings' Cake")
11856-500: The world among those who call themselves Christian. Denominations and sects disagree on a common definition of "Christianity". For example, Timothy Beal notes the disparity of beliefs among those who identify as Christians in the United States as follows: Although all of them have their historical roots in Christian theology and tradition, and although most would identify themselves as Christian, many would not identify others within
11970-766: The world's Christians. Other Christian groups make up the remainder. By 2050, the Christian population is expected to exceed 3 billion. According to a 2012 Pew Research Center survey, Christianity will remain the world's largest religion in 2050, if current trends continue. In recent history, Christians have experienced persecution of varying severity, especially in the Middle-East , North Africa, East Asia , and South Asia . The Greek word Χριστιανός ( Christianos ), meaning ' follower of Christ ' , comes from Χριστός ( Christos ), meaning ' anointed one ', with an adjectival ending borrowed from Latin to denote adhering to, or even belonging to, as in slave ownership. In
12084-595: The world. The songs that were chosen for singing in church omitted the wassailing carols, and the words "hymn" and "carol" were used almost interchangeably. Shortly before, in 1878, the Salvation Army , under Charles Fry, instituted the idea of playing carols at Christmas, using a brass band . Carols can be sung by individual singers, but are also often sung by larger groups, including professionally trained choirs. Most churches have special services at which carols are sung, generally combined with readings from scripture about
12198-464: The young men make the necessary arrangements to see the young ladies safely home across the fields. " The Dead " – the final, novella-length story in James Joyce 's 1914 collection Dubliners – opens on Twelfth Night, or Epiphany Eve, and extends into the early morning hours of Epiphany itself. Critics and writers consider the story "just about the finest short story in
12312-516: Was felle ( فەڵە ), coming from the root word meaning ' to be saved, attain salvation ' . The Syriac term Nasrani ( ' Nazarene ' ) has also been attached to the Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala , India. In northern India and Pakistan , Christians are referred to ʿĪsāʾī ( Hindi : ईसाई , Urdu : عیسائی ). Masīhī ( Hindi : मसीही , Urdu : مسیحی ) is a term Christians use to refer to themselves as well. In
12426-571: Was called Western or Latin Christendom , and Constantinople ( Eastern Christianity ), Antioch ( Syriac Christianity ), Kerala ( Indian Christianity ) and Alexandria , among others, whose communities were called Eastern or Oriental Christendom. The Byzantine Empire was one of the peaks in Christian history and Christian civilization . From the 11th to 13th centuries, Latin Christendom rose to
12540-803: Was further popularised in the 20th century when OUP published one of the most popular carol books in the English-speaking world, Carols for Choirs . First published in 1961 and edited by David Willcocks and Reginald Jacques , this bestselling series has since expanded to a five-volume set. Along with editor John Rutter , the compilers included many arrangements of carols derived from sources such as Piae Cantiones , as well as pieces by modern composers such as William Walton , Benjamin Britten , Richard Rodney Bennett , William Mathias and John Rutter. Today carols are regularly sung at Christian religious services. Some compositions have words that are clearly not of
12654-569: Was later abbreviated as 基督 . The term is Kî-tuk in the southern Hakka dialect ; the two characters are pronounced Jīdū in Mandarin Chinese. In Vietnam, the same two characters read Cơ đốc , and a "follower of Christianity" is a tín đồ Cơ đốc giáo . In Japan, the term kirishitan (written in Edo period documents 吉利支丹 , 切支丹 , and in modern Japanese histories as キリシタン ), from Portuguese cristão , referred to Roman Catholics in
12768-564: Was performed on 6 January 1605 at the Banqueting House in Whitehall . It was originally entitled The Twelfth Nights Revells . The accompanying Masque, The Masque of Beauty was performed in the same court the Sunday night after the Twelfth Night in 1608. Robert Herrick 's poem Twelfth-Night, or King and Queene , published in 1648, describes the election of king and queen by bean and pea in
12882-439: Was to have a bean and pea hidden inside a Twelfth-night cake ; the "man who finds the bean in his slice of cake becomes King for the night while the lady who finds a pea in her slice of cake becomes Queen for the night." Following this selection, Twelfth Night parties would continue and would include the singing of Christmas carols , as well as feasting. Food and drink are the centre of the celebrations in modern times. All of
12996-543: Was used to denote "free" Christians of steppe origin and East Slavic language. Nominally "Christian" societies made "Christian" a default label for citizenship or for "people like us". In this context, religious or ethnic minorities can use "Christians" or "you Christians" loosely as a shorthand term for mainstream members of society who do not belong to their group – even in a thoroughly secular (though formerly Christian) society. As of 2020, Christianity has approximately 2.4 billion adherents. The faith represents about
#52947