www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Parish Life & Evangelization Has carolling gone out of favor?

For several years from the early 1970's until about the mid 1990s I went carolling almost every year with groups of people either in the Church I served or with community members. I've tried to get groups up since then but without success and for a few years now haven't even tried.

Has carolling gone out of favor or is it just me?

CDL

CDL,

I remember as a kid that we went caroling, especially to the nursing homes. When I went we sang "O Tannenbaum" and "Adeste Fidelis" instead of "O Christmas Tree" and "O Come All Ye Faithful" so that was at least 20 years ago.

Caroling definitely has fallen out of favor, I think that people think that they are too busy to do that any more. Or that they'll be shot if they walk on someone else's property!

From what I've read, Caroling is huge in the Old Country.

Could it be that the proliferation of Christmas music on and in every possible venue have cut into the spirit of offering and accepting music through caroling?

Besides the obvious, such as radios, cds, television, stores, hyper decorated houses (they usually play Christmas music for the viewers), and even cell phone rings, there are also the Christmas carol concerts which children participate in, in our churches and in our schools. Perhaps, within the tightly scheduled and frazzled four weeks from Thanksgiving to Christmas, there just isn't any more time for old fashioned caroling in addition to all the other concerts-

-In cany case, caroling, is something which I definitely associate with a more relaxed lifestyle than we, unfortunately, experience today. We live in a time of sensory overload.

In Christ,
Alice, who has been so frazzled this year, that she is writing this from bed, having succumbed to the first awful stomach virus I have had in many years.

Seems like everybody's getting at this time. I pray that you get better.

I also think that Alice is on to something. Now that we have nonstop "Christmas" music from Thanksgiving to Christmas, maybe it's that people are sick of it and wouldn't want to listen.

Christmas music does not include the following:

Sleigh Ride, winter Wonderland, Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!, and the rest. Those are winter songs not songs about the Birth of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ!

*Steps off of Soapbox*

Dear Dr. Eric,

Thank you for your prayers. I am afraid I haven't mustered to eat more than half a banana today, and I also have a low grade fever...it doesn't look like I will be well enough to go to church tomorrow night.

Anyway, while I agree with you about much of the music we hear being winter music, I can say that I am pleasantly surprised that the 'all Christmas music' channels on the radio which we have been playing at work, and which I listen to sometimes in the car, are also including quite alot of real religious Christmas carols as well, such as Oh Holy Night..often sung by newer singers to the Christmas genre, like Vanessa Wiliams, etc.

It used to be, that a few years back, here in the New York area, the only religious carols one would heae was at their churches on Christmas Eve or at a church sponsored Christmas concert....

So things have been changing a bit....thank God!

Regards,
In Christ,
Alice

It has not died out in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Canada or in Ukraine itself now that communism has fallen. In fact it has been revived in Ukraine.
Nothing seems to have changed since I was a child; various groups go out from church from house to house on their list and collect donations singing traditional Ukrainian Christmas carols. Both young people and the middle aged are involved. This is done in the period from Christmas day (Jan. 7th) to Theophany.
We also sing carols at church after the services and parishes usually have a dinner the eve of Theophany and everyone sings carols after dinner.
In our family we start singing carols on January 6th, "Holy Evening".
Some how I don't think singing Christmas carols will ever die out. It is such a joyous activity that families can do at home and groups can participate in visiting homes.

The nonstop "Christmas music", if that's what you want to call it, probably turns off some people.

This is just my humble opinion, but I despise Jingle Bells, Let It Snow and that ilk. We put up our tree the week before Christmas and keep it up past Epiphany.

Just today, I received a CD I ordered, Catholic Christmas Classics, by the Cathedral Singers. There were several carols that I have never heard before.
I need not waste another moment hearing Jingle Bells.

Praise the Lord!

Actually I went out last night with a group and we had a very favorable response. Now we were great mind you and sounded heavenly.
Stephanos I

Father Bless!

When are you coming to my house?

I haven't seen carolers in years here. The only strangers that show up at my door are the ones trying to sell magazines.

Dr Eric
When you pay the airfare lol!
I think I may know you since I have concelebrated the Divine Liturgy there in KS before.
Stephanos I

We are still going to all of our parishioners who will have us. We go one or two Sundays before Christmas with the ECD children and teachers in two groups, then meet for pizza afterwards. The remaining proceeds fund our youth group.

Every year someone says we we should quit because of other demands on their time, but so far we continue.

I feel this is critical to our parish life. Other than for sick calls, it's the only time that there is any kind of home visitation. Its one of the best ways to maintain personal contact. The Theophany house blessings have been long gone.

Now that so many young people have abandoned any attachment to a church this may be our only contact (if they are visiting their parents) and is a way to "re-evangelize."
Christos razdajetsa!

Father Deacon Paul

Father Bless!

I live on the other side of Missouri, on the Mississippi, so I have never had the pleasure of meeting you. The Divine Liturgies I've been to were all in St. Louis.

When a get rich quick scheme pans out, I'll fly you in for Carols!

Hi, Carson,

Christos Razdajetsja!
Slavite Jeho!

Carolling used to play a HUGE part within the Christmas traditions of your own parish family, back in the days of the Joliet parish (ask some of the "old timers!"). We'd pile the youth of the parish (high school age through early-twenties or so), accompanied by a few responsible adults, into the necessary vehicles (somewhat easy to do back then; since we had a parish school we also had a couple of school buses!) and spend two full nights visiting ALL (or 'pert near) parish families, regailing each with a smattering of Christmas carols, many sung in our mother tongue. We would do an "East Side night" and a "West Side night" - with your knowledge of the Joliet area you obviously understand the logistics behind the "two-nighter" practice. Believe me, the parishioners' front porch lights would be in full glow, awaiting our arrival, year after year!

What a WONDERFUL tradition! I wonder why it died out?


Kinda related sidebar: I play music in a 5-piece band on weekends in the Joliet area. One other fellow in the band, Jim, is also Byzantine, a former caroler like myself. Our band was playing a job a couple of weeks ago and we decided to toss in a few spontaneous Christmas carols for the folks. We happened to be in the middle of "Silent Night"... I glanced at Jim and he at me, and without a spoken word between us, we both read each other's mind, simultaneously approached the mics and broke into a two-part-harmony chorus of "Jasna Zorja!" The other three guys in the band didn't have a clue! It's amazing how that stuff sticks with you! At the same time, it's sad that our kids, and theirs, will probably never have the opportunity to know and sing "Silent Night" in the mother tongue of our Church...

Al (a pilgrim)

Our priest and one of the cantors are taking the parish kids caroling today.