A Christmas History Lesson
Each Christmas season one of the most popular things to do at Christmas parties, whether for adults or children, is to try to remember the lyrics to the well-loved song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Most people think of it as a delightful, fanciful song featuring gifts, that we would have no use for today, from an admirer.
There has been much speculation about the meaning of the song, but there is no hard evidence to support either the side that it has a religious connotation or that it is simply a fun, secular song. We’ll look at both sides and you can choose to believe one or the other or just continue to enjoy this seasonal favorite as you have in the past.
We’ll start with the side that says it is religious in theme. Between 1558 and 1829 the practice of Catholicism was prohibited in England. It was illegal, really a serious crime, to practice the faith even in private. To help preserve the traditions of Catholicism during these years, “The Twelve Days of Christmas “was written as a memory help for young children learning the catechism.
Those who believe it to be a religious song see it being full of symbolism. They further believe that the popularity of the song world- wide is an indicator that it points to the faithfulness of Catholics to the doctrine of Catholicism. One interpretation of the symbols is as follows:
1st verse – “True Love” refers to God.
2nd verse – “2 Turtle Doves” refers to the division of the Bible into the Old and New Testaments.
3rd verse – “3 French Hens” refers to Faith, Hope, and Charity.
4th verse – “4 Calling Birds” refers to the Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
5th verse – “5 Golden Rings” refers to the first five Books of the Old Testament.: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy
6th verse – “6 Geese-a-laying” refers to the six days of creation:
Day 1 God created the Earth,
Day 2 God separated water from the air
Day 3 God created the land and plants.
Day 4 God created the stars and the sun.
Day 5 God created fish and birds
Day 6 God created land animals and man
7th verse – “7 Swans-a-swimming” refers to the seven sacraments: Baptism, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick
8th verse – “8 Maids-a-milking” refers to the eight beatitudes:
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land.
Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
9th verse – “9 Ladies dancing” refers to the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control
10th verse – “10 Lords-a-leaping” refers to the Ten Commandments:
1. Do not worship other gods.
2. Do not worship idols.
3. Do not misuse God’s name.
4. Keep the Sabbath holy.
5. Honor your father & mother.
6. Do not murder.
7. Do not commit adultery.
8. Do not steal.
9. Do not lie.
10. Do not covet.
11th verse – “11 Pipers piping” refers to the eleven faithful apostles:
Simon Peter
James
John
Andrew
Philip
Thomas
Bartholomew
Matthew
James
Simon Zelotes
Judas
12th verse – “12 Drummers drumming” refers to the twelve points of the Apostle’s creed.
- I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Maker of heaven and earth, - and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
- Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the virgin Mary, - suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
He descended into hell
5 The third day He arose again from the dead;
6 He ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
7 I believe in the Holy Ghost;
8 the holy catholic church;
9 the communion of saints;
10 the forgiveness of sins;
11 the resurrection of the body;
12 and the life everlasting.
Now for the side that contends that ”The Twelve Days of Christmas is just a great seasonal song that has nothing with the Catholic Church. The song was first published in 1780 in England, but textual evidence points towards its having originated in France. Even so, it is considered an English carol. There are three known French versions of the song. If the English version with the “partridge in a pear tree” is taken literally, then it’s almost a foregone conclusion that the song came from France since the partridge that more frequently perches in trees than the grey partridge native to England is the red-legged or French partridge. The red-legged was successfully introduced in England just a few years before it was first published.
It is widely accepted that the twelve days in the song refer to the days between Christmas Day and the Feast of the Epiphany.
Even though the precise origins of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” are unknown, a strong possibility of its origin is a Twelfth Night game. Known as a memories and forfeits game, it was played by a leader reciting a verse and each player repeating it. The leader then added another verse and so on until a player couldn’t repeat it. That player then had to pay a penalty such as giving a sweet or a kiss. The earliest known printed version of this game appeared in a children’s book, Mirth without Mischief, published in England sometime around 1780. In 1880, Lady Gomme, a collector of folktales and nursery rhymes, described playing the same game on the Twelfth Day night before eating mince pies and twelth cake.
Many believe if “The Twelve Days of Christmas” has any meaning it still needs to be satisfactorily explained. This quote from The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes sums it up for those who take the side that it has no religious meaning: “Suggestions have been made that the gifts have significance, as representing the food or sport for each month of the year. Importance [certainly has] long been attached to the Twelve Days, when, for instance, the weather on each day was carefully observed to see what it would be in the corresponding month of the coming year. Nevertheless, whatever the ultimate origin of the chant, it seems probable [that] the lines that survive today both in England and France are merely an irreligious travesty.
The variations in lyrics provide further evidence against the “catechism song” origin. For example, the four Gospels often are described as the “four calling birds,” when in fact the phrase “calling birds” is a modern phonetic misunderstanding of “colly birds” (blackbirds).
Whichever side you take you can still enjoy a favorite Christmas song that is a favorite of millions. Merry Christmas to one and all!
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Filed under Christmas Traditions by on Oct 3rd, 2010. 