Christmas Carols: Know the interesting backstory of 'Jingle Bells' and 'Silent Night'

Christmas is celebrated to mark Jesus Christ's birth. According to the holy book of Christianity, the Bible, God loved the world so much that he sent his only son (Jesus Christ) to earth to instil faith among the people. This festival of Joy is celebrated with friends and family, where everyone comes together to engage in many fun and enriching activities. A significant part of Christmas traditions is Christmas Carols.

For many people, the festival of Christmas is incomplete without listening to or singing atmospheric and angelic carols. There are some cult favourite songs and carols that are played every year. But little did one know about the origin of the melodious songs. Here are a few fascinating backstories of popular Christmas carols.

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Silent night

This song has an interesting history attached to it. On Christmas Eve 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 did not just give up and sing out 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.

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Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer

This song brings in a lot of nostalgia as this song is every child’s favourite. It invokes a feeling of hope that Santa Claus along with his team of reindeer, would be coming to place presents under the Christmas tree. '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.

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Jingle Bells

This song was originally named 'The One Horse Open Sleigh' when it was written and composed by James Lord Pierpont an American composer, songwriter in 1857. 'Jingle Bells' was not received well by listeners when it was first composed in 1857 and it took many years to become one of the most popular songs at Christmas time. According to the charts, this song ranks in the top 5 of the best Christmas songs.

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