The Twelve Days of Christmas

We've all heard the Christmas ditty "The Twelve Days of Christmas" which seems to be mostly nonsense. Who would want their true love to give them nine ladies dancing or ten lords a' leaping as a holiday gift? Not me! Who's going to cook for them? 

Actually the 'gifts' have very special hidden meanings which were used as far back as the 16th century as a means of teaching Catholic children their catechism. During that time in merry old England it was a crime punishable by cruel death to be a Catholic. Over time, the song has been accepted by all and sung by many who had no idea of it's origin. Let me share what I learned. 

The "true love" mentioned in the song has nothing to do with earthly romance between a man and a woman. Instead, the "true love" refers to God Himself. The "me" refers to every Christian although there was a time when it referred only to baptized persons. 

The "partridge in a pear tree" refers to our Lord, Jesus Christ. 

The other symbols have been translated to mean the following:

2 Turtle Doves - The Old and New Testaments

3 French Hens - Faith, Hope and Charity

4 Calling Birds - The Four Gospels

5 Golden Rings - The first five books of the Old Testament

6 Geese A' laying - The six days of creation

7 Swans A' swimming - The seven Sacraments 

8 Maid A' milking - The eight Beatitudes

9 Ladies Dancing - the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit

10 Lords A'leaping - The Ten Commandments

11 Pipers Piping - The eleven faithful apostles

12 Drummers Drumming - The twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

I hope you enjoyed learning this little bit of trivia and that the next time you hear the carol you'll think of it's original meaning. I'm sure it will make much more sense and perhaps you will like me smile. 

Merry Christmas!