A Ukrainian Christmas: The story of ‘Carol of the Bells’

As Christmas approaches, there is one song you hear quite often that’s associated with the holiday season: “Carol of the Bells.”

The music is recognizable, translated into many languages, and most famous in its English version. 

However, few people know the first time North Americans heard “Carol of the Bells” was in October 1922. The Ukrainian National Choir performed the piece in New York City’s Carnegie Hall during their world tour.

The song’s melody was born when Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych reimagined an old Ukrainian chant called “Shchedryk,” which dates back to pagan times.

Meaning “generosity,” “Shchedryk” was performed at the start of spring as part of long-standing folk traditions.

Finding the words, Leontovych started composing the melody in the small town of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, where he lived at the time. It was first performed in 1916 in Kyiv.

However, Ukrainians have always been part of a nation that had to fight for independence and freedom. That time period wasn’t an exception, and when Bolsheviks seized power of Russia in 1917, they occupied the territory of Ukraine.

In attempts to show the world that Ukraine is an independent country and Ukrainian identity exists, Ukrainians decided to take a cultural approach by showing our culture and opening Ukraine to the world.

In 1919, the Ukrainian National Choir went on a European tour showcasing the country’s music and songs.

Although the choir gained significant popularity and many positive reviews from the public, the support Ukraine truly needed — backing in its fight for independence against Soviet Russia — wasn’t achieved.

The Soviet Union was destroying everything Ukrainian to erase national identity and fully occupy Ukraine.

Leontovych was assassinated in 1921 by a Russian agent, and unfortunately, never saw his song go on tour to the United States and gain international attention.

The story goes that when the choir sang “Shchedryk” in New York City, American composer Peter Wilhousky, who was sitting in the audience, liked it and wrote the English lyrics that became known as “Carol of the Bells” in 1936.

Ukraine remained under the Russian Empire and Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1922, and then the Soviet Union until 1991.

During this period, everything Ukrainian was banned, and everyone who tried to promote Ukrainian culture was harshly punished.

My grandma and her family celebrated Christmas very quietly, with all the windows closed. They sang “Shchedryk” and many other songs during the Christmas season very softly, so the Russian agents who wandered among ordinary people, spying on them, wouldn’t notice.

I was lucky to be born in an independent Ukraine, a free country that strives to uphold democratic values. 

As a child, I never understood or even paid attention to my grandma singing songs for me every day when I came home from school and had lunch. She would tell me how beautiful they were.

It is only now I realize what people had to go through to preserve all our traditions and songs. To now be able to sing freely without fearing being killed for doing so.

“Shchedryk” or “Carol of the Bells” became a symbol of this. Hearing the carol around the world every year makes Ukrainians very proud, especially during times like these, when Ukrainians are, again, fighting for our independence and culture.

Pokrovsk, where “Shchedryk” originates from, is now under constant shelling and is almost razed to the ground.

If Pokrovsk falls to Russian forces, which looks increasingly likely, it will be the largest city seized by Moscow since May 2023, CNN reported on Nov. 15.

Pokrovsk is also a key road in the east, and losing it will make Russian forces’ advance easier, the BBC noted.

In this critical time, sharing the story of “Carol of the Bells” is important because it is one of many songs and pieces of heritage Ukrainians are fighting for right now.