A carol is a festive song. It is generally religious but not necessarily connected with church worship. It is also often with a dance-like or popular character.

Today the carol is represented almost by the Christmas carol, the Advent carol, and to a much lesser extent by the Easter carol, however despite their present association with religion, this has not always been the case.

The word carol is thought to have been derived from the French word caroller. That was a circle dance accompanied by singers (in turn derived from the Latin choraula). The carol was very popular as a dance song from the 1150s to the 1350s. That was after which its use expanded as a processional song sung during festivals. That was while others were written to accompany religious mystery plays (such as the Coventry Carol, written in 1591).

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