You have all heard the song played many times, and most probably, you have sung it as well. But, have you heard about the Catholic roots behind the words of the song?
As we all know, the secular culture often thinks about the beginning of the Christmas season as the day after Thanksgiving (or much earlier!). For Catholics the first day of Christmas is the day we celebrate the birthday of Christ, Dec. 25th. It continues until the day before Epiphany, Jan. 6th. This is the day that the wise men visited Mary, Joseph and Jesus in Bethlehem. It is observed as the first manifestation of Christ as our Savior.
During the 16th Century, religious wars were taking place in England. It was a difficult, and sometimes a dangerous time, to practice Catholicism. As the legend goes, Catholic families found unique ways of teaching the faith to their children. One such method is believed to be the song, “The 12 Days of Christmas”. The lyrics we hear in the song, may sound like nonsense but these words are believed to have hidden references our Catholic faith:
- A partridge in a pear tree symbolized Jesus Christ.
- Two turtle doves represents the old and the new testaments of the Bible.
- Three French hens signifies the three virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love.
- Four calling birds symbolizes the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, which spreads of the Good News of Christ.
- Five golden rings is representative of the first five books of the Old testament, known as Pentateuch or the Torah, which speaks of God’s covenant with His people.
- Six geese a-laying symbolizes God’s six days of creation.
- Seven swans a-swimming represent the gifts of the Hoy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.
- Eight maids a-milking recognizes the eight Beatitudes peached by Jesus on the Mount, which make for a righteous life.
- Nine ladies dancing represents the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
- Ten lords a-leaping signifies the Ten Commandments.
- Eleven pipers piping makes reference to the faithful apostles… Simon Peter, Andrew, James (son of Alphaeus), Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Simon of Zealot and Jude. Not sure why Thaddeus is left out…other than he is not mentioned much in the Bible and somewhat of a mystery. Would be interesting to do some further research!
- Twelve drummers drumming symbolizes the twelve points of the Apostle’s Creed which summarize the core beliefs of Christianity.
So there you have an interesting story about a song we have been listening to for centuries and, perhaps, many more to come. Parts of this article has been referenced from Dynamic Catholic.
May God Bless all of you during the 12 days of Christmas and throughout the coming year!