The 12 days of Christmas - Know the words?

[TheGoofster]

When you hear this song, can you sing along with it, or do you have to mumble some of the words for the last few days until after you hear what they are?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Thanks to Kids Bopz and my DD's desire to know that song very well by heart...it is played often and I know all the words. (I knew all the words before..but now I REALLY know them. Not sure if that is good or bad though ).

 

[tevagirl]

It goes something like this:

Blah blah blah blah....five golden rings...blah blah blah

 

[*Fantasia*]

The song goes, "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…"

The "true love" mentioned in the song doesn’t refer to an earthly suitor, but it refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. i.e. the Church.

1st Day: The partridge in a pear tree is Christ Jesus upon the Cross. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge because she would feign injury to decoy a predator away from her nestlings. She was even willing to die for them.
The tree is the symbol of the fall of the human race through the sin of Adam and Eve. It is also the symbol of its redemption by Jesus Christ on the tree of the Cross.

2nd Day: The "two turtle doves" refers to the Old and New Testaments.

3rd Day: The "three French hens" stand for faith, hope and love—the three gifts of the Spirit that abide (1 Corinthians 13).

4th Day: The "four calling birds" refers to the four evangelists who wrote the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—which sing the song of salvation through Jesus Christ.

5th Day: The "five golden rings" represents the first five books of the Bible, also called the Jewish Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

6th Day: The "six geese a-laying" is the six days of creation.

7th Day: The "seven swans a-swimming" refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.

8th Day: The "eight maids a milking " reminded children of the eight beatitudes listed in the Sermon on the Mount.

9th Day: The "nine ladies dancing" 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.

10th Day: The "ten lords a-leaping" represents the Ten Commandments

11th Day: The "eleven pipers piping" refers to the eleven faithful apostles.

12th Day: The ‘twelve drummers drumming" were the twelve points of belief expressed in the Apostles’ Creed: belief in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, made man, crucified, died and arose on the third day, that he sits at the right hand of the father and will come again, the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.

So the next time you hear "the Twelve Days of Christmas" consider how this otherwise non-religious sounding song had its origins in keeping alive the teaching of the Catholic faith.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Way cool fantasia--I think I will print that. (I had never heard of that before, but I became Catholic as an adult).

 

[Mandabella]

Unfortunately, yes I do know all the words. Try spending a good amount of your life singing and let me know if this one didn't stick in your memory cells.

And as far as this song being about teaching the Catholic faith:
http://snopes.com/holidays/christmas/12days.asp

 

[ZachnElli]

No, but my 7 year old dd does!

 

[ford family]

Very interesting but was this explanation (Fantasia's) not forced on the song after the fact?
For example, there are no "calling " birds, the original song had four colly or collie birds i.e. blackbirds. Not sure how they equate to the gospel writers.

ford family

 

[terryX]

How about the "McKenzie Brothers" version of this!

 

[TheGoofster]

The song goes, "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…"

The "true love" mentioned in the song doesn’t refer to an earthly suitor, but it refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. i.e. the Church.

1st Day: The partridge in a pear tree is Christ Jesus upon the Cross. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge because she would feign injury to decoy a predator away from her nestlings. She was even willing to die for them.
The tree is the symbol of the fall of the human race through the sin of Adam and Eve. It is also the symbol of its redemption by Jesus Christ on the tree of the Cross.

2nd Day: The "two turtle doves" refers to the Old and New Testaments.

3rd Day: The "three French hens" stand for faith, hope and love—the three gifts of the Spirit that abide (1 Corinthians 13).

4th Day: The "four calling birds" refers to the four evangelists who wrote the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—which sing the song of salvation through Jesus Christ.

5th Day: The "five golden rings" represents the first five books of the Bible, also called the Jewish Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

6th Day: The "six geese a-laying" is the six days of creation.

7th Day: The "seven swans a-swimming" refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.

8th Day: The "eight maids a milking " reminded children of the eight beatitudes listed in the Sermon on the Mount.

9th Day: The "nine ladies dancing" 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.

10th Day: The "ten lords a-leaping" represents the Ten Commandments

11th Day: The "eleven pipers piping" refers to the eleven faithful apostles.

12th Day: The ‘twelve drummers drumming" were the twelve points of belief expressed in the Apostles’ Creed: belief in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, made man, crucified, died and arose on the third day, that he sits at the right hand of the father and will come again, the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.

So the next time you hear "the Twelve Days of Christmas" consider how this otherwise non-religious sounding song had its origins in keeping alive the teaching of the Catholic faith.

Although this is a popular theory, it does not seem to be based on the actual facts. For a complete history of this song look at this site:
http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/12days.asp
I agree that many songs and symbols are indeed based on religious belief, but this one does not seem to be.

 

[ford family]

Fantasia's explanation did not seem to be very credible so I went to
http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/12days.asp and it debunks the religious theory.
Only fair, there are tons of good quality religious songs but most of the secular ones are overly commercial.

ford family

 

[*Fantasia*]

ehhh.. don't ask me... i just copied this from a site. i was looking for the lyrics.. well this is what i stumbled over.

 

[TheGoofster]

ehhh.. don't ask me... i just copied this from a site. i was looking for the lyrics.. well this is what i stumbled over.

Don't feel bad, I always thought that the Candy Cane was also a purely religious symbol, and appears that it isn't either.
But that doesn't bother me. There are so many true symbols sprinkled into Christmas that one or two less doesn't make a difference.
And, there is nothing wrong with taking an existing symbol, and adapting it either.

 

[*Fantasia*]

Don't feel bad, I always thought that the Candy Cane was also a purely religious symbol, and appears that it isn't either.
But that doesn't bother me. There are so many true symbols sprinkled into Christmas that one or two less doesn't make a difference.
And, there is nothing wrong with taking an existing symbol, and adapting it either.

This is part of what I have read from the site I was on.. It isn't a Catholic song.. They gave meanings to the symbols, so the young ones will remember the Catholic faith.

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written in England as one of the "catechism songs" to help young Catholics learn the basics of their faith. In short, it was a coded-message, a memory aid. Since the song sounded like rhyming nonsense, young Catholics could sing the song without fear of imprisonment. The authorities would not know that it was a religious song.

"The 12 Days of Christmas" is in a sense an allegory. Each of the items in the song represents something significant to the teachings of the Catholic faith. The hidden meaning of each gift was designed to help Catholic children learn their faith. The better acquainted one is with the Bible, the more these interpretations have significance.

 

[I Love Pluto]

I've been teaching this to my students for 28 years. Yes, I know all of the words.

 

[CourtasanSatine]

Does the Redneck version count?

 

[EEYOREMAMA]

My initial response - doesn't everybody? Than I realized I do, but I don't. I think I do, but I mix them up. Okay, I failed the 12 day test, but I'll be ready for the re-test

 

[hidmickey:myantidrug]

Just for curiosity's sake...for number 5...

when you say it, do you say five go-ld rings!!!! or five gold-en rings!!!!?

 

[DisneyCP2002]

Let's see I know the TRUE version of the song plus about 2 other versions as well. Will try and post the other two soon.

 

[EEYOREMAMA]

Just for curiosity's sake...for number 5...

when you say it, do you say five go-ld rings!!!! or five gold-en rings!!!!?

I vote for Golden rings. I hate trying to hold that note.