Many of us know the song “The 12 Days of Christmas”. However, it wasn’t until last year that I learned that there was a lot of spiritual symbolism behind the lyrics.
I am not posting this to enter into debate/discussion on religion on this thread. I am simply posting this because I find the information interesting. If you’d like to talk with me about something concerning this, feel free to send me a PM.
In England, between the mid-1500s and 1829, it was illegal for Catholics to practice their faith in public or private. However, because of their strong beliefs, they wrote this song as a memory aid to help teach their children important parts of their faith. (To clarify, I am not Catholic; that is just the background of the song.)
True love-God the Father
Partridge in a pear tree- Jesus Christ, the Son of God (A mother partridge will feign injury in order to ward predators away from her nest, thus sacrificing her own lives for the lives of he nestlings)
2 turtledoves- the Old and New Testaments
3 French hens- Faith, Hope, and Charity
4 calling birds- the 4 Gospels
5 golden rings- the Pentateuch
6 geese a-laying- 6 days of Creation
7 swans a-swimming- 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit
8 maids a-milking- 8 Beatitudes
9 ladies dancing- 9 fruits of the Spirit
10 lords a-leaping- 10 Commandments
11 pipers piping- the 11 faithful apostles
12 drummers drumming- the 12 elements of faith in the Apostles’ Creed
I hope y’all have a great Christmas celebrating the birth of our Savior! Again, feel free to PM me to have a deeper conversation on this if you’d like!