What did Q bring you for Christmas this year?
The twelve days of Christmas begin December 26 and include Epiphany on January 6.
Will Q give us 12 gifts?
What Is The Meaning Of The 12 Days Of Christmas
Most of us are familiar with the Christmas Song âThe Twelve days of Christmas.â What we are not commonly aware of is the meaning behind the interesting, but somewhat strange, lyrics. The Twelve days of Christmas refers to the 12 days that are between the celebration of Jesusâ birthday on the 25th of December and the celebration of Epiphany on the 6th of January. There is no clear evidence to prove what the song means, but there are some popular theories to explain the lyrics.
Theories behind the meaning of âThe 12 of days of Christmasâ
The most common theory of why the song âThe Twelve days of Christmasâ was written dates back to a time when it was illegal to to practice the Catholic faith in England (1558- 1829). England was an Anglican country and if a person was caught in possession of Catholic religious material or practicing the Catholic faith they would be severely punished. The song is said to have been written to help young Catholics remember the tenets of their faith. Each âgiftâ given was a memory tool to help a person remember an important catholic tenet. The âtrue loveâ mentioned in the song is referring to God and the âmeâ is referring to any baptized person. Below is a list of what each of the âgiftsâ could possibly mean:
The âpartridge in a pear treeâ is Christ Jesus upon the Cross. Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge. A mother partridge would pretend to be injured to decoy a predator away from her nestlings. She was even willing to die for them, just as Christ died.
The tree in the song is the symbol of the fall of the human race through the sin of Adam and Eve (The Tree of Good and evil in the Garden of Eden). It is also the symbol of redemption by Jesus Christ on the tree of the Cross.
The âtwo turtle dovesâ refers to the Old and New Testaments.
The âthree French hensâ stand for faith, hope and loveâthe three gifts of the Spirit that remain no matter what happens.
The âfour calling birdsâ refers to the four apostles who wrote the GospelsâMatthew, Mark, Luke and John. These four books tell the story of salvation through Jesus Christ.
The âfive golden ringsâ represents the first five books of the Bible, also called the Jewish Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
The âsix geese a-layingâ is the six days of creation.
The âseven swanâs a-swimmingâ refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.
The âeight maids a milking â are a reminder of the eight beatitudes listed in the Sermon on the Mount.
The ânine ladies dancingâ were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
The âten lordâs a-leapingâ represents the Ten Commandments
The âeleven pipers pipingâ refers to the eleven faithful apostles.
The âtwelve drummers drummingâ were the twelve points of belief expressed in the Apostlesâ Creed.
Other popular theories include that it was a memory and forfeit game sung by 18th century British children. If you could not remember the previous item added to the song then you owed the last person to recite the song correctly a favor such as candy or a kiss. It is also suggested that the song âThe Twelve days of Christmasâ often gets confused with a similar song titled âA New Dialâ which has similar meaning to those given to the twelve âgiftsâ in âThe Twelve Days of Christmasâ