The Coventry Cathedral is the birthplace of “The Coventry Carol,” which is inspired by Matthew’s Gospel account of the massacre of innocents. Credit: Joseph Witcombe/Coventry Cathedral If you want to ...

"The Wassail Bowl," printed in The Illustrated London News on Dec. 22, 1860. Going door to door and offering a song or performance in exchange for a drink or money is a centuries-old English custom.

Do you know what bobtails and wassailing are? We have experts explain the meaning of those weird Christmas carol lyrics. Many of our most popular holiday songs are from the 19th century, when ...

Christmas carols are among the oldest songs people still sing, according to Dr. Keely Rhodes, an assistant professor of music at USC Aiken. Rhodes presented “Music and Merriment: Origins of the ...

Some people observe December 25 as sacred and also mark January 6 as “Old Christmas.” We’ve all heard of traditional Christmas carols like “Jingle Bells” and “Deck the Halls,” but what about “The ...