You probably already know the history of the word "Noel"
but just in case, here you go :)
but just in case, here you go :)
English speakers borrowed the word noel from the French. The word can be traced further back to the Latin word natalis, which is used like "birthday" as a noun or "of or relating to birth" as an adjective. (The English adjective natal has the same meaning and is also an offspring of natalis.). I recently learned that Noels are also musical announcements/greetings. Noels were being sung in Latin or French for centuries before the word found its way into our language in the 1800s. The earliest known musical use of noel occurred in the text of a Christmas motet called "Nova vobis gaudia," which was written in the 1400s.
Wow!
For me, this connects nicely to the use of music & poetry that invites us all to celebrate the birth of our Messiah.
Happy Christmas and Merry Noels!
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