As a child, one of my favorite childhood Christmas carols was The Twelve
Days of Christmas. I enjoyed the
repetition. The lyrics made no sense to me. The song was simply fun to sing. Did my music teacher explain the song’s meaning? I
don’t remember. It is only recently that I discovered the significance of the
lyrics.
According to Fr. Gilhooley, English Jesuits wrote this carol
as a catechetical device in the 16th century. For a short history of this Christmas carol’s you might visit this site:
www.catholic.net.
Once at the site, look for the Real Meaning of the Twelve Days of Christmas.
The Twelve Days of
Christmas
On the first day of
Christmas my true love gave to me a Partridge in a Pear Tree ~ Jesus
On the second day of
Christmas my true love gave to me two turtledoves ~ Old and New Testament
One the third day of
Christmas my true love gave to me three French hens Three Gifts of Wise Men
On the fourth day of
Christmas my true love gave to me four calling birds ~Four Gospels
On the fifth day of
Christmas my true love gave to me five golden rings ~Torah - First 5 books of Old Testament
On the sixth day of
Christmas my true love gave to me six geese a laying ~ Six days in creation
On the seventh day of
Christmas my true love gave to me seven swans swimming ~ seven gifts of Holy Spirit
On the eight day of
Christmas my true love gave to me eight maids a milking ~ Beatitudes
On the ninth day of
Christmas my true love gave to me nine drummers drumming ~ Fruit of Spirit
On the tenth day of
Christmas my true love gave to me ten ladies dancing ~ 10 commandments
On the eleventh day of
Christmas my true love gave to me eleven pipers piping ~ Eleven Faithful Apostles
On the twelfth day of
Christmas my true love gave to me twelve lords a leaping ~ Twelve points of Apostles Creed
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| Source of picture from web |
