The word "carol" has a dancing origin--going back to the Greek choros, which was originally a circle dance associated with fertility rites. The carol, by forsaking the more solemn contemplative melodies of the Church, began the era of modern music, and allowed a joyful expression of spiritual themes, expressed directly by common folk.

The emergence of the carol in the 1400s was a sign of the emancipation of the common people from the stranglehold of the Church. For many centuries--through the Dark Ages and into the Medieval period--communal dance, drama, and singing had been suppressed.

The typical carol gives voice to the common emotions of healthy people in language that can be understood and music that can be shared by all. Indeed, most carols encourage the singers to be merry and joyful and rejoice in the wonders of Nature.

Many Christmas carols have decidedly Christian words, though some of the tunes and sentiments are clearly more ancient. Originally, many of the songs we sing for Christmas were designated for other specific winter feast days. "Here We Come A-Wassailing," for example, has nothing to do with the birth of Christ. It refers to a charming custom of wassailing, in which carolers go from house to house offering good wishes for the New Year, for which they receive in exchange a cup of wassail. Likewise "Deck the Halls" is clearly about a Solstice New Year celebration with no Christian references at all.

Other carols have Christian words overlaid on older carols. "The Holly and the Ivy" clearly refers to the evergreens as well as the rising of the sun and the running of the deer, and only in the second verse begins to compare Jesus to the holly.

Though today we carefully follow the printed words and music in carol books, in the tradition of caroling words and tunes are interchangable--the same words being used with several melodies, and melodies having several sets of words. Which leaves us free to spontaneously create our own joyous words to fit the occasion as we choose...

Here are some new words I wrote to the ancient tune "Ding Dong! Merrily on High" to celebrate the events occurring in nature at the winter solstice. It harkens to a time when humans felt their actions influenced the workings of nature and they could create the environmental conditions they desired by expressing their intentions in song and dance and ceremony.

Ding dong! Merrily on high
In hev'n the bells are ringing.
Ding dong! way up in the sky
The birds join in with singing.

CHORUS: Gloria...the Light returns to Earth now.

Now on earth, on earth below
The fires are burning brightly.
For to make the green things grow
The sun will rise up rightly.

CHORUS: Gloria...the Light returns to Earth now.

Ringers prime your evening chimes
Don't let your music wither.
Singers beautifully rhyme
Your songs will bring light hither.

CHORUS: Gloria...the Light returns to Earth now.

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