We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.

Help Now >

The Origin of the Twelve Days of Christmas

You're all familiar with the Christmas song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" I think. To most it's a delightful nonsense rhyme set to music. But it had a quite serious purpose when it was written.

It is a good deal more than just a repetitious melody with pretty phrases and a list of strange gifts.

Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829, when Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England, were prohibited from ANY practice of their faith by law - private OR public. It was a crime to BE a Catholic.

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written in England as one of the "catechism songs" to help young Catholics learn the tenets of their faith - a memory aid, when to be caught with anything in *writing* indicating adherence to the Catholic faith could not only get you imprisoned, it could get you hanged, or shortened by a head - or hanged, drawn and quartered, a rather peculiar and ghastly punishment I'm not aware was ever practiced anywhere else. Hanging, drawing and quartering involved hanging a person by the neck until they had almost, but not quite, suffocated to death; then the party was taken down from the gallows, and disembowelled while still alive; and while the entrails were still lying on the street, where the executioners stomped all over them, the victim was tied to four large farm horses, and literally torn into five parts - one to each limb and the remaining torso.

Light your Free Virtual Prayer Candle: We will pray with you

The songs gifts are hidden meanings to the teachings of the faith. The "true love" mentioned in the song doesn't refer to an earthly suitor, it refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge which feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, much in memory of the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered thee under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but thou wouldst not have it so..."

The other symbols mean the following:

1 Partridge in a Pear Tree = Jesus Christ, Son of God

2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments

3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues

4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists

5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which gives the 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

Enjoy Daily Readings? Pay it Forward

Catholic PDFs - Print - Free Light a Virtual Prayer Candle

Biblical Lost Alphabet Traced Back to Ancient Canaanite Civilization

St. Benedict Door Hang 15% off

Light Your Virtual Prayer Candle For a Loved One

Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.

Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.

The Origin of the Twelve Days of Christmas

Light your Free Virtual Prayer Candle: We will pray with you

More Advent & Christmas

Advent & Christmas 2023

Begins Sunday December 3, 2023

Ends on Sunday December 24, 2023

Christ the King

Advent 2023 starts on Sunday December 3, 2023

Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary[holy day of obligation]

Advent 2023 ends on Sunday December 24, 2023

ChristmasBirth of Our Lord Jesus[holy day of obligation]

The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God[holy day of obligation]

Epiphany

Family Savings of 20% - Save Now

Advent Reflections

Advent Calendar

Advent Candle

Advent Wreath

Advent & Christmas Classes

Advent & Christmas PDFs

Christmas Gifts

Nativity Scene

St. Nicholas

Enjoy our Confirmation Class? Pay it Foward

More Advent

More Christmas

Explore More

Download 100's of Prayers for free

More Advent & Christmas

Shop Prayer Cards

Love is Born on Christmas Morn, and the World is Born Anew Watch

Advent Reflection - Day 22- The Fourth Sunday of Advent Watch

Advent Reflection - Day 21 - The Third Saturday of Advent Watch

Enjoy Daily Readings? Pay it Forward

Join the MovementWhen you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.

Daily Catholic

St. Benedict Door Hang 15% off

Light Your Virtual Prayer Candle For a Loved One

Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary
[holy day of obligation]

Christmas
Birth of Our Lord Jesus
[holy day of obligation]

The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
[holy day of obligation]

Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.