The Origins of The “12 Days of Christmas”

From 1558 until 1829,It was illegal forCatholics in England to practice their faith openly or privately. 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.
so that parents could teach them important elements of their faith by hiding their true meanings within the silly symbols used in the song. The children could sing it  without the authorities knowing  the meaning behind the song.

 -The True Love represents God                                                                                 -The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ.
 -Two turtle doves are the Old and New Testaments.
 -Three French hens stand for faith, hope and love.-
 -The four calling birds are the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
 -The five golden rings recall the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old         Testament.
 -The six geese a-laying stand 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 lesson for today. Now You know how that unusual song became a Christmas Carol

Image via Wikipedia

Merry Christmas Everyone