The story below is a common one, explaining the meaning of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas.’ Some say it is purely fanciful, an enduring example of an ‘urban myth.’ Whether or not it has any basis in fact, each of us can ask ourselves if we’re familiar with the Christian truths it is said to allude to.  And the carol can be great to sing, especially with youngsters!

What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the ‘partridge in a pear tree’ have to do with Christmas? From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. [Editor’s note: most restrictions had been lifted before 1829, when the Catholic Emancipation Law came into effect in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church.

Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality, which the children could remember. The one giving the gifts,‘My true love,’ is God.  

1.The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ.

 2. 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 of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

5. The five golden rings recall the Torah or 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 Holy Spirit: Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy. 

8. The eight maids a-milking are the eight beatitudes.

9. Nine ladies dancing are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control. 

10. The ten lords a-leaping are the Ten Commandments.

11. The eleven pipers piping stand for the eleven faithful apostles.

12. The twelve drummers drumming symbolize the twelve points of belief in The Apostles' Creed.

The four ‘calling birds’ are ‘colly birds’ in older versions in England. ‘Colly’ is an English dialect word for ‘black’ and the blackbird is a common songbird in England. The five ‘golden rings’ are simply ‘gold rings’ in some versions. Some say that the ‘golden rings’ refer to coloring around the necks of birds such as pheasants, which would fit in with the bird them of the first seven verses.

This is fact:The First Day of Christmas begins on the evening of Christmas Day and continues till the evening of St Stephen’s Day, 26 December. The Twelfth Day of Christmas begins on the evening of 5 January, ‘Twelfth Night,’ and ends on the Feast of the Epiphany, 6 January.

Isn’t it ironic that in the country that boasts, rightly or wrongly, to have ‘the longest Christmas celebration in the world’ we’ve reduced the Twelve Days of Christmas most years by observing the Epiphany, Ang Tatlong Hari, a great missionary feast, on a Sunday instead of on its proper date. However, this year Epiphany Sunday is 7 January, so we get a ‘bonus’ day!