Christmas 2014: 'Silent Night' named nation's favourite carol
The carol ousted long-running favourite 'O Holy Night' from the top spot
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Your support makes all the difference.“Silent Night” has been named the UK’s favourite Christmas carol for the first time in 12 years, after ousting “O Holy Night” from the top spot.
Legend has it that the song, first translated into English in 1863, was written to tide over a midnight mass after nibbling mice put an church organ out of action in Austria.
“Silent Night” was sung between the trenches in the famous Christmas truce of 1914, which may explain its return to number one as the country commemorates the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War.
Thousands of Classic FM listeners voted in the radio station’s annual poll, which opened on 1 December.
Completing the top five list of carols were “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”, Holst’s version of “In The Bleak Midwinter” and “O Come All Ye Faithful”.
The full countdown will be broadcast on Christmas Day from 1pm in John Brunning’s programme, The Nation’s Favourite Carol.
Elsewhere, “Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues topped a recent Blinkbox Music poll to find the UK's favourite Christmas song, beating the likes of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and Wham!’s “Last Christmas”.
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