Holiday Music

Music has always been an important part of holiday celebrations. Who can imagine Christmas without singing Christmas carols or a birthday party without singing "Happy Birthday"? The Fourth of July would not be the celebration it is without patriotic songs. Whether the occasion is personal, religious, patriotic, or seasonal, music is usually woven into the fabric of celebrations all over the world.

Holiday music can vary greatly from one country to another. For example, Christmas is celebrated in many different countries, but the celebration is different in each place. The United States has many Christmas songs, both religious (such as "Joy to the World" and "Silent Night") and secular, or not religious (such as "Silver Bells" and "The Christmas Song"). People in Germany might sing "O Tannenbaum" at Christmas. Families in France might sing "Un flambeau, Jeannette, Isabella." Italian carolers might sing "O Bambino," while in Central America, families sing songs and have neighborhood parties during "Las posadas" celebrations in December.

Many countries celebrate New Year’s Day, but not all celebrate on January 1. The Chinese New Year, for example, begins in mid-February. It is known for the music and parades of the Lantern Festival, held at the end of the fifteen-day celebration. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, occurs during autumn. Songs and chants are performed at a special temple service.

"Auld Lang Syne," sung in the United States as the New Year begins at midnight on January 1, is a song from Scotland. Many countries mark the beginning of a new year with celebrations and music. Kwanzaa, an African American holiday that celebrates African American culture, ends on January 1. Music is a very important part of Kwanzaa ceremonies.

There are a number of holidays with roots in historical events. For example, in the United States, Martin Luther King Day is celebrated in January. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a preacher who called on African American people to claim their civil rights in a nonviolent manner. Many songs, such as "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize," "Shed a Little Light," and "We Shall Not Be Moved" were written to honor this great man and his ideals. The spiritual "We Shall Overcome" has become permanently associated with King and the civil rights movement.

Around the world, countries celebrate national holidays, such as independence days, with music. In the United States, Independence Day is July 4. Many of our patriotic songs, such as "America," "America the Beautiful," "Yankee Doodle," and our national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner," are sung or played on the Fourth of July. Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican festival celebrating the defeat of Napoleon’s army in Mexico on May 5, 1862, is considered by many to be an unofficial Independence Day for Mexico. Today Cinco de Mayo is also a popular Mexican American holiday, with mariachi music and dancing as the central focus of the celebrations. In France, Bastille Day, which marks the beginning of the French Revolution, is celebrated with parades, dances, and the singing of France’s national anthem, "La Marseillaise."

Many countries also have harvest celebrations, such as Thanksgiving in the United States. Of the songs most associated with Thanksgiving, two are traditional Congregational hymns ("We Gather Together" and "Come, Ye Thankful People, Come"), and one is secular ("Over the River and Through the Woods"). All three of these songs speak of family and gratitude for the harvest. The Jewish harvest holiday, Shavuot, is celebrated seven weeks after Passover with special decorations, rituals, feasting, and songs. China, Czechoslovakia, Ireland, North and South Korea, and many African nations all celebrate their harvest seasons with feasting, music, and dancing.

The strains of "Happy Birthday to You" are an automatic part of most birthday celebrations in the United States. Sisters Mildred Hill and Patty Hill, both schoolteachers, wrote this song in 1839, and we have been singing it ever since. The English words to "Happy Birthday" have been translated into numerous other languages. Of course, many countries have unique birthday songs, such as "Mubärak" ("Happy Birthday"), which is sung while guests dance at birthday celebrations in Iran.

Many cultures mark the changes of the year by celebrating holidays. Music, whether sung or played on instruments, is used to teach the traditions of the holiday, to share the communal history in song, or simply to help people enjoy themselves and each other on these special days.