Carols頌歌這個詞起源於中世紀，被用於舞蹈歌曲或圓圈舞的伴唱。It is not clear whether the word carol derives from the French "carole" or the Latin "carula" meaning a circular dance. In any case the dancing seems to have been abandoned quite early. 四世紀的羅馬時代，第一首carol誕生了。但直到13世紀，法國，德國和意大利才有了一定規模的用本地語言唱的聖誕歌曲。用英語演唱的聖誕歌曲是在1426年開始的。Wikipedia有一段文字說明了這個事實，Christmas carols in English first appear in a 1426 work of John Awdlay, a Shropshire chaplain, who lists twenty five "caroles of Cristemas", probably sung by groups of ’wassailers’, who went from house to house. The songs we know specifically as carols were originally communal songs sung during celebrations like harvest tide as well as Christmas. It was only later that carols begun to be sung in church, and to be specifically associated with Christmas. 所以聖誕歌曲在早期是在聖誕及其他的豐收節日以及聖誕節臨近的其他節日唱的。大約1350至1550年是英國頌歌的黃金時代。到了14世紀，頌歌成為了一種流行的宗教歌曲的形式，主題往往圍繞着基督或者聖母瑪利亞。15世紀的頌歌廣為普及，到了16世紀，頌歌的發展又步履蹣跚，而18世紀中葉的文藝復興，又使頌歌獲得了新生而且使其發展達到了一個新的高峰。Today carols are regularly sung at Christian religious services.