Away in a Manger - A History of the Carol

Away in a Manger is a Christmas Carol that is taught to children at an early age. It explains the manger scene in a simple and easy to remember story. The actual author/writer of the song has been lost to history. The song with its simple and easy to remember verses has survived though. The song has roots in early 1880's America. The first known publishing of the song was in May 1884 in the publication, "The Myrtle".

The Story behind the Christmas Carol; Away in a Manger

Away in a Manger is also known as Luther’s Cradle Hymn. For many years it was thought that the song was written by Martin Luther and sung by him to his children. It is now known that the song was written as part of a collection for Martin Luther's 400th anniversary. There is even speculation that the song was credited to Luther as a marketing gimmick to promote sales. The original form of the song was a two-stanza version and appeareed to originate among German Lutherans in Pennsylvania in the early to mid 1880's.