Discover The Word

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Christmas Carol: “The Twelve Days of Christmas”

From time to time in the history of Christianity, Christians have not been allowed to worship God publicly. Between 1558 and 1829 in England it was illegal for Catholics to practice their kind of Christianity in private or in public. The carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas” was written at the beginning of this time. Some people think it was written to help children learn about Christianity and the Bible. Each of the Twelve Days was supposed to represent hidden meanings. But these symbols can be used by Protestants and other Christians just as well, so no one really knows if the carol was a special Catholic song or not.

The Twelve Days of Christmas refer to the period that starts on Christmas Day and ends on Epiphany (January 6). The song begins, “On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . .” The “true love” represents God, the true love of the world. The “me” in the carol is the Christian man or woman who receives these presents from God. Here are the meanings of all of the Twelve Days in the song:

#1: The “partridge in a pear tree” is Jesus who died on the cross. In ancient times a partridge was often used as a mythological symbol of a divine sacred King.

#2: “Two turtle doves” are the Old and New Testaments of the Bible—another gift from God. Doves also symbolize peace.

#3: “Three French hens” are faith, hope and love – the three gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 13). The French hens can also represent God the Father, His Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

#4: “Four calling birds” are the four gospels in the New Testament of the Bible.

#5: The “five golden rings” are the first five books of the Bible also called the Books of Moses or the Torah.

#6: The “six geese a laying” are the six days of creation.

#7: The “seven swans a swimming” are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-11; Ephesians 4; 1 Peter 4:10-11).

#8: The “eight maids a milking” are the eight beatitudes, Jesus’ teachings on happiness (Matthew 5:3-10).

#9: The “nine ladies dancing” are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

#10: The “ten lords a-leaping” are the Ten Commandments of the Bible (Exodus 20).

#11: The “eleven pipers piping” are the eleven faithful disciples of Jesus.

#12: The “twelve drummers drumming” were the twelve points of the Apostles’ Creed.

What sounds like a completely secular nonsense song with a catchy tune turns out to have a long history as a kind of secret catechism for people who were not allowed to talk about their faith openly.