Christmas carols are called Christmas ritual songs performed by children or adults, often dressed in unusual costumes - fur coats turned inside out and animal masks. Initially, the carols were pagan, gradually Christian chants appeared.
Varieties of carols
All existing carols can be divided into the so-called "Christian" (Christmas) and "sowing" (pagan). The first include the usual for many carols dedicated to the Nativity of Christ. The latter are more ancient, they are directly related to the pagan cult of fertility. Their main content is the wishes of well-being and a rich harvest. In fact, pagan carols were an appeal to the patron gods of fertility. Among the deities to whom the carollers addressed, there are the names of Avsen, Tausen, etc.
The content of ritual songs and the tradition of caroling
The custom of singing carols on the days of Christmas and Christmastide appeared after the adoption of Christianity in Russia. On the territory of Russia and Ukraine, in ancient times, children, adults and young people used to sing carols, dividing into groups according to their age. Caroling began immediately on the night before Christmas and ended only on the eve of Epiphany. The owners of the houses, where the carols came, generously rewarded them with treats.
Many carols of ancient agrarian origin were called to exalt the owner of the house and his family, to turn to them with wishes of a generous harvest and family well-being. The source of the song images was the economic concerns of the peasantry and rural nature. At the same time, real life in carols was essentially idealized. In addition to describing village life, they reproduced the pictures of the life of the higher estates: princes, boyars and merchants.
The plots of many songs are based on a combination of biblical and agrarian motives. For example, in one of them, existing in several versions, it was told how Christ sows crops, and the Mother of God and Saint Peter help him.
The Christians walked with a paper Christmas star, which symbolized the adoration of the Magi to the Infant Christ. At the same time, the songs they sang told about the events of that wonderful night, which was marked by the arrival of the Savior into the world. Nikolai Gogol gave a vivid and imaginative description of caroling in his wonderful story "The Night Before Christmas".
In modern Russia, the tradition of performing Christmas carols has practically disappeared. In the villages this beautiful ancient custom has long gone into oblivion, in the cities it is revived only in theatrical form. It is best preserved in the Ukrainian Carpathians, where almost the entire population is still praying at Christmas.
