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"The Twelve Days of Christmas" seems like a whimsical song of rhyming nonsense. However, it was written for a very serious meaning. Catholics in England during the period of 1558 to 1829 were prohibited from ANY practice of the faith by law. "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written to help them learn about their faith. In short, it was a coded-message, a memory aid.
The "true love" refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ.
The other symbols 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 (Pentateuch)
6 Geese a-laying = the six days of creation
7 Swans a-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
8 Maids 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
Sunday, December 14, 2008
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John W.,
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful story!! You did a great job and we all enjoyed the evening at the Waymer's. I am recommending to everyone who knows how to go to Snopes.com under Deck of Cards/Prayer. It is the song written years ago (our version would have been the WWII recorded by "Whispering Bill Anderson" where a deck of cards is used for the Bible. It is interesting as well. Thank you for a fun evening. Benny
Cool! I didn't know all of the symbolism behind the song! I like it even more now :)
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