The idea of Christmas caroling brings to mind a jolly band of
churchgoers, dressed in shawls and top hats, going door-to-door
spreading the spirit of Christmas through hymns. Whether it's
"Deck the Halls", "Joy to the World" or "Silent Night",
Christmas Carolers have been known to travel on foot, by truck
or on horseback. Despite a recent re-examining of caroling's
political correctness, including one incident where carolers
were banned from marching in a prominent parade in Denver. It
remains a popular Christmas tradition. But how exactly did this
tradition begin? Who wrote the carols? And why do we feel
compelled to sing them on the front porch of a total stranger's
home? The root of the word "carol" lies not in song, but in
dance. In Old French, "carole" means "kind of dance". In Latin
"choraula" means "a dance to the flute", and in Greek,
"choraules" means "flute player who accompanies the choral
dance". Although there are some carols centering around
religion, the songs were originally secular--up-tempo