We attended the \u201cWinter\u201d Sing at Emily\u2019s school this week. Despite the title, it was Christmas songs. I suppose they would have shut the school down if they had advertised it as a Christmas Sing.\u00a0 Anyhow, we had a great time and it seems like Emily knew every word to every song.
\nOne song they didn\u2019t sing was \u201cThe 12 Days of Christmas.\u201d I\u2019ve always been curious about that song\u2026 it appears to be a song about someone that gets lots of presents from their \u2018true love.\u2019 I have to admit that there\u2019s lots of songs that don\u2019t make a lot of sense to me, but I decided to do some extensive research on this one, seeing how it\u2019s Christmas time and all that.<\/p>\n
In the real world Christmas Day, December 25th, ushers in 12 days of celebration, ending on January 6 with he feast of the Epiphany. The 12 Days have been celebrated in Europe since before the middle ages and many sources that I checked indicated that each day of the 12 Days celebrate a feast day for a saint and\/or have different celebrations. Some of these I\u2019m aware of, or have at least heard of, such as Day 2 (26 December) known as Boxing Day and also St. Stephen\u2019s Day\u2026 Day 4 (28 December) is the Feast of the Holy Innocents\u2026 and Day 12 (5 January) known as Epiphany Eve. It\u2019s interesting that Day 11 (4 January) celebrates St. Elizabeth Ann Seton \u2014 her shrine is just a few miles from our house.<\/p>\n
Anyhow, the point is, I guess, that The 12 Days of Christmas is more than just a song. But \u2014 the song itself has lots of legends and stories attached to it\u2026. \u201cThe 12 Days of Christmas\u201d is an English Christmas carol. It turns out that from 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. One story has it that during that era someone wrote this song that has two levels of meanings. The obvious words of course, but those words supposedly have a hidden meaning known only to members of the Church. Apparently, each verse of the carol had a code word with a religious meaning\u2026 for instance, the \u201cTrue Love\u201d in the song is not a boyfriend or girlfriend, but Jesus Christ, because \u201ctrue\u201d Love was born on Christmas Day. The partridge in the pear tree also represents Jesus because that bird is willing to sacrifice its life if necessary to protect its young.
\nAccording to the story, the symbols mean:
\n– The two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments
\n– The three French hens stood for faith, hope, and love.
\n– The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
\n– The five golden rings represented the first five books of the Old Testament, which describe man\u2019s fall into sin and the great love of God in sending a Savior
\n– The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation
\n– Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit \u2014 Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy
\n– The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes
\n– Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit \u2014 Charity, Joy, Peach, Patience, Goodness, Mildness, Fidelity, Modesty, Chastity
\n– The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments
\n– The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful Apostles
\n– The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in The Apostles\u2019 Creed
\nSo if there is really a hidden meaning to the song, I suppose it becomes religious\u2026 maybe that\u2019s why it wasn\u2019t on the list at Emily\u2019s school. The fact is that this hidden meaning story probably isn\u2019t true, but even if it\u2019s not, it makes for an interesting interpretation and something to think about.<\/p>\n
Calvin Coolidge once said, \u201cChristmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind.\u201d
\nFor Christmas, I hope our home and yours, is filled with laughter, our lives filled with love and our hearts are full of hope\u2026.
\nMerry Christmas!
\n\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We attended the \u201cWinter\u201d Sing at Emily\u2019s school this week. Despite the title, it was Christmas songs. I suppose they would have shut the school down if they had advertised it as a Christmas Sing.\u00a0 Anyhow, we had a great … Continue reading