Sing it! - The 12 Days of Christmas
Tuesday, July 17th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
Most of us are familiar with the Christmas song, The 12 Days of Christmas, even though many folks might have a bit of trouble getting the lyrics of the song right after about the sixth day! This song has been sung for generations, and is a traditional part of our Christmas season. There have even been many versions of the song. The structure lends itself well to variation and humor. But have you ever stopped to think about what this silly song really is really all about? While there is some disagreement among historians over the definite purpose for The 12 Days of Christmas, the theories regarding this fun and vibrant song are quite interesting.
What are the 12 Days of Christmas?
First, the 12 days of Christmas stand for the twelve days leading up to the Epiphany. In most cultures, this begins on December 26 and goes until January 6. The western church celebrates this time as the time it took for the magi to arrive to visit the Christ child. Some cultures call January 6 Three Kings Day, and some celebrate that date as their gift-giving day of the holiday season. The gifts symbolize the gifts that the kings brought to Jesus, of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Other cultures might traditionally give a gift on each of the 12 days of Christmas, exactly like the the song goes. Other cultures have modified the 12 days of Christmas into a pagan celebration that celebrates the new year and the driving the evil spirits out of their lives.
Some historians have found evidence to suggest that each of the gifts given during The 12 Days of Christmas are symbols that the Catholic Church created to help teach catechism to Catholic children. This theory dates all the way back to the 16th century, during the religious wars in England. Of the twelve gifts, each different one represents a fundamental point of the Catholic faith. For example, the true love cited in the songs’ lyrics refers to God, and the me who receives the gifts symbolizes every baptized believer of the Catholicism. Each one of the gifts represents an important aspect of catechism. The partridge in a pear tree stands for Jesus Christ. Two turtle doves represent the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Three French hens are for the virtues of faith, hope and love.
The song continues on with symbols for each day, until you get to the twelve drummers drumming, which refer to the twelve points of the Apostles Creed. Isn’t it interesting that this catchy little children’s song called The 12 Days of Christmas can carry so much educational meaning for the Christian church?
Remember, the birth of Jesus Christ is what Christmas is all about for believers of the Christian faith worldwide!
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