The Twelve Days of Christmas
* THE HISTORY: The Twelve Days of Christmas was written during the 16th century religious wars of England. It was used as a tool to secretly teach children the basic doctrines of the Christian faith. The 'true love' represents God, the 'me' represents the believer in Jesus Christ, and the 'partridge' represents Jesus Christ. The song presents Christ as a mother partridge covering her chicks, recalling the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered you under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but you would not have it so . . . ." (Luke 13:34)
THE SONG:
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me= My true love is symbolic of God the Father.
A partridge in a pear tree=Jesus Christ (The pear tree is symbolic of the cross).
Two turtle doves=The Old and New Testaments.
Three French hens=Faith, hope and love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Four calling birds=The Gospels. (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John)
Five golden rings=The first five books of the Bible. (Gen., Ex., Lev., Num., Deut.)
Six geese a laying=The days of creation. (Genesis 1:1-31)
Seven swans a swimming=The gifts of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:7-11)
Eight maids a milking=The Beatitudes. (Matthew 5:1-12)
Nine ladies dancing=The Fruits of the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23)
Ten lords a leaping=The Ten Commandments. (Exodus 20:1-17)
Eleven pipers piping=The eleven faithful disciples. (Luke 6:14-16) Not including Judas, the betrayer.
Twelve drummers drumming=The beliefs listed in the Apostles Creed.
* Editor' Note: According to www.snopes.com, this is not true. You can check it out at:
http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/12days.aspHowever, even if it wasn't used during religious persecution, it can still be used as an effective tool for teaching basic Christian creeds.
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