The 12 Days of Christmas

 

The "Twelve Days of Christmas" is a traditional and lengthy English Christmas Carol. The song is based on the premise that the singer receives one gift per day from his or her "true love" over the 12 days immediately following Christmas Day.

Whether you love it or hate it, the "12 Days of Christmas" song is a holiday staple. Sure, you might prefer belting out other beloved Christmas carols like "Feliz Navidad" or Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You," but there's something about singing the  12 Days of Christmas each year that makes you feel a little nostalgic. Even if you don't know all the words, you're likely able to remember an occasional verse like "Nine ladies dancing!" or "A partridge in a pear tree!" But do you know the "12 Days of Christmas" song meaning and the hidden-message theory about the lyrics?

Not much of the song makes much sense in the modern age, but knowing the rich history behind the elaborate song (which ends up totaling 364 gifts, by the way) puts the seemingly odd lyrics in context. Let's dive in!

The 12 Days of Christmas referenced in the carol reference the 12 days following Christmas, also known as Twelvetide in Christianity. The period starts with the birth of Christ on December 25th and ends with the coming of the Three Wise Men on January 6th, also known as the Epiphany or Three Kings Day.

The four weeks preceding Christmas are collectively known ADVENT, which begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on December 24.

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" is an English Christmas carol that lists a group of increasingly superb gifts given on each of the 12 days of Christmas (the 12 days that make up the Christmas season, starting with Christmas Day). The song, published in England in 1780 without music as a chant or rhyme, is thought to be French in origin. The melodies of collected versions of the carol vary throughout history. The standard tune now associated with it is derived from a 1909 arrangement of a traditional folk melody by English composer Frederic Austin, who introduced the familiar prolongation of the verse "five gold rings" (now usually called "five golden rings").

The lyrics to “The 12 Days of Christmas” have changed over the years

The version most people are familiar with today begins with this verse:

On the first day of Christmas,

my true love sent to me

a partridge in a pear tree.

The song then adds a gift for each day, building on the verse before it, until you’re reciting all 12 gifts together:

Day 2: two turtle doves

Day 3: three French hens

Day 4: four calling birds

Day 5: five gold rings

Day 6: six geese a-laying

Day 7: seven swans a-swimming

Day 8: eight maids a-milking

Day 9: nine ladies dancing

Day 10: 10 lords a-leaping

Day 11: 11 pipers piping

Day 12: 12 drummers drumming

The Twelve days of Christmas had quite a serious purpose when it was written. Each verse refers to a teaching of church doctrine — with the Partridge being Christ who died on a tree and the 'True Love' being God the Father, who gave us all the gifts.

What the symbols mean:

The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 Turtle Doves = the Old and New Testaments
3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Love
4 Calling Birds = the four Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
5 Golden Rings = first five Books of Old Testament (history of man's fall from grace)
6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation
7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments
8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes
9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
10 Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments
11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles
12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle’s Creed

So next time you hear the familiar words you will understand what they all mean.