Most of you are familiar with this song but may not understand the meaning behind the words; always appropriate to refresh our memories during the Advent season.
Twelve Days of Christmas Explained
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 that won't come out of the
pear tree have to do with Christmas? Today, I found out.
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 maid’s 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 lord’s 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.
