The Twelve Days of Christmas is a well loved English Christmas carol which enumerates a series of increasingly grandiose gifts given on each of the twelve days of Christmas. The twelve days in the song are the twelve days from the day after Christmas, the feast day of St Stephen Protomartyr, to the Feast of the Epiphany. Over the twelve days the "true love" gives seventy-eight strange gifts. A popular, if often debated, theory is that the carol was used as a "catechism song" to help young Catholics learn their faith, at a time when practising Catholicism was illegal in England. The twelve gifts are said to represent essential Christian realities. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to identify the meanings behind the gifts. Leave your answers as a comment and no Googling! We will know!1 partridge in a pear tree
2 Turtle Doves
3 French Hens
4 Calling Birds
5 Golden Rings
6 Geese A-laying
7 Swans A-swimming
8 Maids A-milking
9 Ladies Dancing
10 Lords A-leaping
11 Pipers Piping
12 Drummers Drumming
1. Partridge is man. Pear-tree usually represents the goddess Athena. So you have a human and a goddess. Let's unite them and have someone that has human and divine natures. I only know of one real person who does just that--Jesus Christ.
ReplyDelete2. A turtle dove was the offering for a first-born in Jesus' time.
3. A French hen is a female eagle. An eagle represents St. John the Evangelist.
4. Calling Birds are some kind of black birds. Black symbolizes death and at this time of year, a calling bird would make one think of the Feast of the Holy Innocents.
5. A Golden Ring is worn by an archbishop. A famous archbishop in England would be St. Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury who was martyred.
6. Geese a-Laying could be symboling new birth. This of course could be Jesus.
7. Swans a-Swimming represent a peaceful scene. A swimming swan is a universal picture of peace.
8. Eight Maids a-milking could represent all lactating mothers. The Blessed Virgin Mary comes to mind.
9. Ladies Dancing brings to mind a celebration. The birth of a Redeemer would be a cause to celebrate.
10. Lords a-Leaping to me mean walking very fast. What comes to mind are the Magi traveling to see the baby Jesus. One also leaps for joy, like the baby in Elizabeth's womb.
11. Pipers Piping refers to Preachers Preaching. We just have to fit St. Dominic in.
12. Drummers Drumming is what you're going to do to me--drum me out of town. ;-)
I'm working on it . . . the Libellus is helpful, but without Google it's hard work !
ReplyDelete1. Partridge in a pear tree is Jesus on the cross
ReplyDelete2. the two turtle doves are the two books of the Old and New Tesaments.
3 French Hens are, I think, faith, hope and love as read in the new testament book 1 Corinthians
4. This represents the 4 gospels of the New Testament
5. the 5 rings are the 5 books of the Pentateuch, known as the books of Moses, and also the Torah
6. The geese are the 6 days of creation
7. The swans are, I think, the 7 fruits of the spirit - including the gift of healing, prophecy, language, teaching etc
8 The 8 maids a-milking are the beautitudes which Jesus gave on happiness
9 ladies dancing are the 9 fruits of the spirit - love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, patience, gentleness, faithfulness and gentleness .
10 Obviously represents the 10 Commandments.
11 pipers are the 11 faithfull disciples of Jesus (excludes Judas)
12 (and I had to ask a friend about this one) is perhaps the 12 points within the Apostles Creed.