Wynkyn de Worde published the 1521 Christmasse Carolles version associated with the Boar’s Head Carol. That early printed version is the main historical source behind the form of the carol most often performed today.
The Boar’s Head Carol is a macaronic Christmas song, meaning that it combines more than one language, traditionally English and Latin. Its subject is the ceremonial presentation of a boar’s head at a Yuletide feast, a custom that survives in festive processions and university traditions.
The carol itself has several surviving versions, so the 1521 printing should not be mistaken for proof that the song was newly composed that year. Wynkyn de Worde was an important early English printer, and his Christmasse Carolles helped preserve this older seasonal repertory. Modern arrangements, including Elizabeth Poston’s 1960 setting, are widely performed.