The Origins of the 12 Days of Christmas

Subject: The Origins of the 12 Days of Christmas Thu Nov 06, 2008 2:07 pm

The Twelve Days of Christmas

The Twelve Days of Christmas is actually a catechism song. Between the years 1558-1829, English Catholics were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Without regular mass, sacraments, or catechism lessons from the priest, there was little parents could do to help their children learn and remember all out their faith. This song was created to keep the Catholic faith in their lives, even though hidden for the time.

Instead of referring to an suitor, the "true love" mentioned in the song refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents symbolises every baptized person.

'A partridge in a pear tree' is Jesus Christ. A mother partridge will feign injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings. The children hearing this song would know that, and would understand the parallel between the acts of a mother bird, and the sacrifice of Christ.

The other symbols continue the symbolism:

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, which give the history of man's fall from grace;
6 geese a laying-the six days of creation;
7 swans a swimming-seven gifts of the Holy Spirit;
8 maids a milking-the eight Beatitudes;
9 ladies dancing--nine choirs of angels;
10 lords a leaping-the Ten Commandments;
11 pipers piping--the eleven faithful Apostles;
12 drummers drumming-the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

And this is another version I found:

The first English version of The Twelve Days of Christmas was printed in 1780 in a nursery book. Later in the Victorian era, the song became a popular game played in parlors in which anyone who missed reciting a stanza had to forfeit something to the rest of the group.
The version we know today was published in England in 1842 – notice the first seven presents are birds. The five golden rings represent the five golden bands on the ring-necked pheasant and the four colly birds refer to blackbirds. The Twelve Days of Christmas was first heard in America in the 1940s.

…On the twelfth day of Christmas, My true love sent to me Twelve fiddlers diddling, Eleven ladies dancing, Ten pipers piping, Nine drummers drumming, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five gold rings, Four colly birds, Three French hens, Two turtledoves and A partridge in a pear tree.