Anthony Potoczniak, a Rice University anthropology graduate traced the origin of the song and found that the original musical composition was based on the Ukraninan folk song "Shchedryk" (meaning bountiful) that was written in 1916 by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovich.
The song was sung on the eve of the New Year of the Julian Calendar - January 13. It was usually sung by young girls going house to house in celebration of the new year. As the girls sang the tune predicting good fortune, they were rewarded with baked goods or other treats.
As part of a mandate by the Ukranian government to promote Ukranian music, Shchedryk was first performed in the United States on October 05, 1921 in Carnegie Hall, 15 years before "Carol of the Bells".
