How 'Coventry Carol' became a Christmas song | One Good Answer

From as early as 1392 to 1579, merchant guilds in Coventry, England, would produce annual plays for the feast of Corpus Christi, which occurred in midsummer. The Coventry Plays were much larger and lasted longer than others, and thereby were a bigger deal for audiences. The plays would dramatize various biblical stories. “Coventry Carol” was the second of three songs in the nativity play. But even though the song is theoretically very dark, it may have been quite the opposite for audiences of the time period. That’s because medieval drama in general was, above all, funny. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices