My dad forwarded this to me in an email tonight. Very very cool, and I always wondered what this song was about! 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 who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas? This week, 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 maids 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 lords 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. So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening, and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish.' Merry (Twelve Days of) Christmas Everyone
I just taught my daycare kids the true meaning of the song last week...Those sneeky song writers from the olden days....there are alot of old songs that have hidden meanings even nursery rhymes.
That would be cool, but this is false. This article from Snopes explains why: (A website that exposes internet spread tales as true or false through various research.) http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christma ... 12days.asp
Thanks for the link. Very interesting info! I'll take this explination though it makes more sense LOL!!!! oh the mystery of a confusing Christmas song
