Christmas 2019 is around the corner and not only Christians but also people belonging to all religions are gearing up to celebrate the festival. As we all know, Christmas, is one of the most widely celebrated festivals across the world, which marks the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ.
Christmas is mostly observed as a holiday in almost all parts of the world. As per Christian’s holy book, Bible, God loved the world so much and in order to save this earth, he send his only son (Jesus Christ) to instil faith among the people. Also Read: 9 Mistakes You Must Avoid Making On Christmas Day
Christmas is celebrated with friends and family, where people gather and have fun. A significant part of Christmas traditions is Christmas Carols. There are people who consider Christmas is incomplete without listening to or singing atmospheric and angelic carols.
There are certain cult favorite songs and carols that people play on every Christmas day. In this article, we have brought you some fascinating backstories of popular Christmas carols, Silent Night, and Jingle Bells.
Here are Backstory Of ‘Jingle Bells’ And ‘Silent Night’
Silent night backstory
Silent Night is an undeniably the most popular Christmas Carol, which was composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber. The song is reportedly written by Joseph Mohr, who lived in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria.
The Silent Night song was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011. The song has been recorded by many singers across many music genres. The version sung by Bing Crosby in 1935 is the fourth best-selling single of all-time.
The beautiful song has an interesting history associated with it. On the eve of Christmas 1818, St. Nicholas church experienced an ill-fortune as the organ had stopped functioning and there was no possibility it could work again for the liturgy. However, Fr Joseph Mohr had not given up and sung a poem he had written many years ago.
It was then that the carol “Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht” (Silent Night! Holy Night) was heard for the first time in a village church in Oberndorf which is located in Austria.
Silent Night Lyrics
Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight;
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born!
Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love’s pure light;
Radiant beams from thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth.
Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer backstory
This festive song has a lot of Nostalgia as it is every child’s favourite. The song has potential to instill hope that Santa Claus along with his team of reindeer, would be coming to place presents under the Christmas tree.
The Christmas song ‘Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ was composed by the department store chain Montgomery Ward as an option to save money for their annual Christmas promotions. And this song was a hit.
Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer Lyrics
Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all?
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games
Santa came to say
“Rudolph, with your nose so bright
Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”
As they shouted out with glee
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
You’ll go down in history”
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games
Santa came to say
“Rudolph, with your nose so bright
Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”
As they shouted out with glee
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
You’ll go down in history”
Jingle Bells backstory
This popular Christmas song was initially named ‘The One Horse Open Sleigh’ when it was written and composed by James Lord Pierpont an American composer, songwriter in 1857. The song was not liked by mass audience when it was originally dropped in 1857 but a few years later, it become one of the most popular Christmas songs. According to the charts, this song ranks in the top 5 of the best Christmas songs.
Jingle Bells Lyrics
Dashing through the snow
In a one-horse open sleigh
O’er the fields we go
Laughing all the way
Bells on bob tail ring
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight!
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way.
Oh! what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way;
Oh! what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.
Although less well-known than the opening, the remaining verses depict high-speed youthful fun. In the second verse, the narrator takes a ride with a girl and loses control of the sleigh:
A day or two ago
I thought I’d take a ride
And soon, Miss Fanny Bright
Was seated by my side,
The horse was lean and lank
Misfortune seemed his lot
He got into a drifted bank
And then we got upsot.
|: chorus 😐
In the next verse (which is often skipped), he falls out of the sleigh and a rival laughs at him:
A day or two ago,
The story I must tell
I went out on the snow,
And on my back I fell;
A gent was riding by
In a one-horse open sleigh,
He laughed as there I sprawling lie,
But quickly drove away.
|: chorus 😐
These are the backstories and Lyrics of Christmas songs Jingle Bell and Silent Night. You can check out more Christmas Feature here. Doctor Who Christmas Specials Ranked: Which Doctor Who Christmas Special Is The Best?