The Twelve Presents from God
December is the month that most people look forward to. The main reason for that is, of course, Christmas. Ornaments and decorations at all places, giant Christmas trees at shopping centers, festive foods, and last but not least, Christmas carols playing everywhere. A Christmas wouldn’t be complete without those jazzy, cheerful music, right?
If you’re a big fan of Christmas carols, you must’ve known the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. Do you know that there’s a history behind the legendary folk song? The Twelve Days of Christmas is originated in England between the year 1558 and 1829 when it was a crime for Catholics to practice their Christianity. They were banned from worshipping because King Henry VIII fell out with the Catholic church and started his own ‘Protestant’ church, which is now the Church of England. Hence, the Catholics back then worshipped secretly. In order to help children learn about their Catholic region, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” was written. Even though there’s no evidence, people said the days in the carol represent special symbols and have hidden meanings.
The twelve days in the carol refer to the twelve days period which starts with Christmas day and ends on Epiphany that is on 6th January. At the beginning of the song, there’s a lyric that says “On the first day on Christmas, my true love gave to me…” The ‘true love’ represents God who is the true love of the world, and ‘me’ represents the human who receives God’s presents. The presents are:
A partridge in a pear tree; represents God or Jesus Christ who died on the cross. In ancient times, a partridge was often used as a mythological symbol of a divine, sacred king.
Two turtle doves; represent the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.
Three french hens; represent the Christian Trinity, which are God the Father, His son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The hens could also mean faith, hope, and love (the three gifts of the Holy Spirit); the Wise men who visited Jesus; or even the three gifts they brought him.
Four calling birds; represent the four Gospels in the New Testament of the Bible. They could also symbolize the four major Old Testament prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel); or the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Five golden rings; represent the five senses. The five rings could also symbolize the first five books of the Bible.
Six geese-a-laying; represent the six days of creation.
Seven swans-a-swimming; represent the seven ‘liberal arts’ studied in medieval universities. The swans could also mean the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Eight maids-a-milking: represent the eight beatitudes, Jesus’ teaching on happiness.
Nine ladies dancing: represent the nine muses from Greek mythology. They could also symbolize fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Ten lords a-leaping: represent the Ten Commandments in the Bible.
Eleven pipers piping: represent eleven thousand (meaning a lot of people) who had been martyred for the Christian faith. The eleven pipers could also mean Jesus’ eleven faithful disciples.
Twelve drummers drumming: represent the twelve disciples of Jesus.
Thus the meaning of The Twelve Days of Christmas. Didn’t know a song could be that meaningful, right? Hopefully, we can make Christmas more meaningful and joyful after learning the context behind this song.
Written by: Nathania Btari C. XIA3
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