A great number of various Christmas songs, carols, and melodies are associated with the joy and beauty of Christmas.  Very rich and interesting in form and content, they blend in a wonderful way the traditional, ancient magical practices and daily occupations of modern life, candle flames and sounds of Christmas carols awake gentle feelings and hopes of happiness.

In December 2000, the EBU Folk Music Group launched the EBU Folk Music Christmas Project to allow radio listeners all across Europe and beyond to hear Christmas and New Year's music and songs from all over the continent. And what a success! Here is how it works: EBU Radio Members are invited to contribute a song or a piece of music which reflects the season in their own country. These musical contributions are then assembled by the EBU in one compilation which is offered to music producers of all EBU radio stations. 

Christmas Project 2012

The EBU Folk Music Christmas Project has proved very popular for its richness and the diversity of sounds and rhythms: authentic folk, ethno, jazz, pop, traditional and classical music, a musical journey throughout Europe from Cyprus to Iceland, from Portugal to Russia. In 2012 the Christmas Project will once more provide a high level of variety and quality. 51 music pieces from 29 EBU Radio Members, from 27 countries were compiled in one programme of 2½ hours. Please find the complete list here: pdf.Offered free of cost, except the usual authors' rights paid to national collecting societies, it is available for an unlimited number of broadcasts, in whole or in parts, with no deadline for transmission. Using the project’s music and texts, individual producers are free to design their own programme and running order in their own style to suit their own schedules and listeners.

For more information, please contact:

Peter Browne, RTÉ Radio 1, Ireland, e-mail: [email protected], tel: +353 1 208 20 40

Krystyna Kabat, EBU, Euroradio, e-mail: [email protected], tel. +41 22 717 26 08