12 Days of Christmas

[Keith]

I found this interesting and wanted to pass it on. People often think of The Twelve Days of Christmas as the days preceding the festival. Actually, Christmas is a season of the Christian Year that last for days beginning December 25 and lasting until January 6 - the Day of Epiphany - when the church celebrates the revelation of Christ as the light of the world and recalls the journey of the Magi.

From 1558 until 1829 people in England were not allowed to practice their faith openly. During this era someone wrote 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' as a kind of secret catechism that could be sung in public without risk of persecution. The song has two levels of interpretation: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of the church. Each element in the carol is a code word for a religious reality.

1. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ.
2. The two turtledoves are the Old and New Testaments.
3. Three French hens stand for faith, hope and love.
4. The four calling birds are the four Gospels.
5. The five gold rings recall the torah (Law) the first five books of the Old Testament.
6. The six geese a-laying stand for the six days of creation.
7. Seven swans a-swimming represent the sevenfold gifts of the Spirit.
8. The eight maids a-milking are the eight beatitudes.
9. Nine ladies dancing are the nine fruits of the spirit (Gal.5).
10. The ten lords a-leaping are the Ten Commandments.
11. Eleven pipers piping stand for the eleven faithful disciples.
12. Twelve drummers drumming symbolize the 12 points of belief in the Apostles Creed.

There you have it, the HIDDEN meaning of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and the secret behind the song. Received this from a friend and it gave new meaning to the song we sing at this time of year. Hope you find this as "New/Old Meaning" to the season.

Note: The above is not intended as a statement of faith, but rather something informational during this specific time of the year.

[NeilV]

?? The church has never been banned in England for a while Catholics were outlawed from practicing their faith for a becouse of Henry 8th (but England still had the protestant church) but was allowed again with Mary Queen of Scots. The song came about just after the English civil war with no royalty and power taken away from the church the Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas and the holydays with it as church services where not allowed the song was written to allow people to celebrate the feast of Christmas without the aid of a Vicar and was done in such a way to allow people to remmber the song which is why each verse represents something else

[NanaBanana]

Banning the church is quite different from not allowing people to openly practice their faith. People all over the world are still banned from this practice and could mean death to them if they are caught. Many self serving ego-maniacs have made Christianity something to be feared rather than revered.

Anyway, it's a nice song and I appreciate Keith sharing his findings. I will surely pass it on to my friends and loved ones.

[Boobootifi]

I don't think he means that the faith itself was banned. However, the celebration of Christmas as a Christian holiday was. It was banned originally in England by Oliver Cromwell on December 22, 1657, but it was restored in 1660. It was officially banned as a religious observance in both Connecticut and Massachusetts colonies in 1659, though the proscription only lasted until 1681. Though it was officially revoked, it was not a popular festivity in Massachusetts until the mid-1800s.

However, if you look at how England traditionally practiced Christmas at the time, it's not hard to understand why. It really had a lot more in common with a cross between New Years and Halloween than it did with our trees, feasts, and gift-giving that's around today. "Wasailling" as practiced at the time was not just going from house to house singing and spreading good cheer and maybe having some punch -- it usually involved drunken parties going from house to house, demanding food and drink and not uncommonly vandalizing the property if they didn't get what they were looking for -- and sometimes even when they did. One source I looked at said it's a common story (not proved but often quoted) that the origin of the New York paid police force was organized in the aftermath of a Christmas riot in 1827. It was various campaigns of the mid-1800s that turned it into a more sedate and family centered (and religious) holiday.

Of course, many of the roots and traditions of the Christmas season are patently pagan, drawing from Yule and winter solstice traditions, but that's old news.

...Boo

[Matt Zimmitti]

Originally Posted by Boobootifi

...It was banned originally in England by Oliver Cromwell on December 22, 1657, but it was restored in 1660. It was officially banned as a religious observance in both Connecticut and Massachusetts colonies in 1659...

I always celebrate Christmas in the town of Cromwell, Connecticut. Coincidence!?!? I think not.