Just in time for the holidays, the Royal Canadian Mint issued this beautiful 2008 silver proof $20 coin featuring four carollers in Victorian attire on a snowy street corner. This is the second coin in this annual holiday-themed series. Last year, the RCM issued a silver proof coin featuring a Holiday Sleigh Ride.
Singing and the Holidays go hand in hand. It's a natural impulse to express one's joy in song; one that predates Christianity when people used to dance and chant in a circle. Etymologists today speculate that the earliest meaning of "carol" actually suggests "circle" rather than "song."
The word "carol" began to refer strictly to nativity songs when singing became a regular part of formal church services during the 13th century. The charitable aspects of carolling evolved from beggars who sang in the streets hoping their songs would please passers-by and earn them a gift of food or money. The custom of carolling from house to house is believed to have been inspired by the watchmen of historic Europe; they too would sing as they walked the streets of their walled cities.
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