Czech Christmas Carols

The Czech word for carol, "koleda", is shared in Polish and Slovak, and apparently it comes from the Latin word for the first day of the month, Calendae, probably because for ancient Slavs, and many others, the day following the winter solstice at the end of December was the first day not only of a new month but of the new year, and it was an occasion for celebration and, thereby, singing.

As Christianity absorbed these traditions, carols, or “firsts” were sung not only at Christmas but also on St. Stephan’s Day, New Year’s Day, on the Epiphany on January 6 (“Three Kings” day in Czech) and on until the largely forgotten holiday of Candlemas on February 2. Just as the pagan priests had walked among the houses of their communities and offered prayers on that first day of the new year, so Christian priests toured their parishes offering blessings in song and accepting gifts in return.

Some of the oldest surviving Czech Christmas comes from the Hussite era in the 15th and 16th centuries, and that was also when Czech became more widely used for such music as it came to be heard in the markets, taverns, the palaces of noblemen and of course monasteries of the Late Middle Ages.

@horydoly Mary had a Baby #carol #koleda V jeslích dítě spinká zpívej @prague.travelers #praha ♬ původní zvuk - Kuba Turek