“Carol of the Bells” is one of the most popular Christmas carols, even appearing in the classic holiday film Home Alone. But many people are unaware of its origins: It didn’t start as a Christmas tune, and in fact, comes from a Ukrainian folk song called “Shchedryk” (“little sparrow” in English). 

So it’s fitting that this Christmas, ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi Ukraine returned to the carol’s roots for a project supporting Ukrainian children during one of the toughest periods in the country’s history. 

The agency created a new version of “Carol of the Bells” with lyrics rewritten to reflect the experiences of Ukrainian children since Russia invaded the country earlier this year. Many of these children have been separated from their families and are facing a bleak festive season during the war. 

The renamed song, “Carol for the Charity,” was recorded with well-known Ukrainian artist Taras Topolia from the band Antytila—who previously collaborated with Ed Sheeran—and singers from the famous Veryovka Folk Ensemble and Children’s Choir Zerniatko. 

Saatchi & Saatchi turned the project into a humanitarian fundraising effort by partnering with music app Shazam, which identifies songs from a short audio sample. Anyone who listens to the carol on YouTube and scans it with Shazam can donate to Ukrainian charity Olena Zelenska Foundation in aid of children affected by the war.

The agency also partnered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the organization Brand Ukraine for the campaign.

Reimagining a festive tradition

Saatchi & Saatchi said they were inspired to create a new version of “Carol of the Bells” since caroling is a popular Christmas tradition, with Ukrainian adults and children typically visiting houses to sing and trade sweets or money. 

But this year, Ukrainian children “are deprived not only of the festive mood, but many of them have also been deprived of their homes, relatives and happy childhoods due to the war,” Sergiy Biloshytskiy, creative director of Saatchi & Saatchi Ukraine, told Adweek. “Mykola Leontovych [the song’s original composer] would not have known how this carol would help now.”

The agency recorded the song between shelling from the Russians and frequent blackouts. 

While media attention may have largely shifted to global events such as the World Cup, the campaign serves as a reminder of the ongoing war in Ukraine. 

“Every idea from Ukraine that goes global helps us to remind the world that we are still here, still fighting for our basic rights to exist with Russia, still creating and working under the missile strikes and permanent blackouts,” said Kosta Schneider, chief creative director of PG Ukraine and Czech Republic and Saatchi & Saatchi Ukraine. “For us, the Christmas holidays are a great opportunity to put Ukraine under the spotlight again… this carol has a destiny to help Ukraine in the toughest time of our history.”