Rachel Wilkinson traces the incredible tradition of the Glen Rock Carolers from Sheffield, UK, to Pennsylvania, USA, up with the Christmas dawn for 174 years.
They're hard to avoid at Christmas time, but what makes a carol a carol? Where do Christmas carols come from, and why do we love them so much? Rachel Wilkinson explores.
Yule and Christmas... there's a connection there, surely. So, what's the difference? Is one Christian and the other Pagan, or is there more to it than that? And why, when decking the halls with boughs of holly, are we encouraged to don gay apparel and "troll the ancient Yuletide carol"? Where does Yule end and Christmas begin?