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What the 12 days of Xmas Carol means

Yanuck

Well-known member
There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me.
What in the world do leaping lords, French hens,
swimming swans and especially the partridge who won't come out
of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?


From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were
not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone
during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.
It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning
plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each
element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality
which the children could remember.



-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.



-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.



-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership and Mercy.

-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience,

Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control.

-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...


Merry (Twelve Days of) Christmas Everyone
 

OregonCountry

Well-known member
thank you for the reminder:) I had heard this a few years ago and it fascinated me. We sang this song over and over growing up but I never knew the story behind it.

God bless and thank you again for sharing this, denise in Sams Valley OR

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