HOLIDAY SONGS
Beloved Christmas carols first sung in German, in Salzburg, Austria on Christmas Eve in 1818.
What is Silent Night?
This 8-day Jewish holiday. 2000 years ago, King Antiochus wanted the Jews to worship Greek Gods, so he destroyed the Jewish temple. The Jewish people found 1 jar of oil in their destroyed temple and used it to light the temple’s candles. The candles should have burned for 1 day, but miraculously they burned for 8 days.
What is Hanukkah?
An 1892 Two-act classical ballet by Russian composer Tchaikovsky. The script was adapted from a short story. The ballet is set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas Tree in a child’s imagination.
What is The Nutcracker?
Written in 1850 and published in 1857 under the title “One Horse Open Sleigh”.
What is Jingle Bells
This Hindu festival of lights gets its name from the row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indians light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects from spiritual darkness. This festival is as important to Hindus as the Christmas holiday is to Christians.
What is Diwali?
A play based on the novella written by Charles Dickens in 1843. It tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost fo Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder man.
What is A Christmas Carol?
Written by Irving Berlin and performed by Bing Crosby. This song won an Academy Award and is the world’s best selling single.
What is White Christmas?
An annual celebration of African-American culture from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called Karamu, usually on the sixth day. Based on African harvest festival traditions from various parts Africa.
What is Kwanzaa?
Annual musical holiday stage show presented at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The show features a high-kicking precision dance troupe and was first presented in 1933.
What is the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular?
Written in 1984 as a charity song to raise money for the famine in Ethiopia. I was recorded by a super group of popular British and Irish musicians.
What is Do They Know It’s Christmas?
The history of this festival traces back more than 4000 years ago. It is the grandest ancient traditional festival in China, celebrating the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year.
What is Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year?
Composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel this oratorio has become one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral works. It is a top download during the Christmas season, but was actually written for Easter. The text was primarily compiled from the King James Bible. If you’ve ever attended church at Whites Chapel, you have heard the choir perform this piece.
What is Handel’s Messiah or the Hallelujah Chorus?