It was an ordinary day. Singing "The Twelve Days of Christmas" at the framing gallery where I work. Breaks the monotomy of constant work when I sing along with all the Christmas songs on my CD that I can play as loud as I want in order to hear it above the moan of the air compressor needed to run the mat cutter. The "Twelve Days of Christmas" is an English Christmas carol that lists a series of grand gifts given on each of the twelve days of Christmas which begins with Christmas Day, December 25.
The song was published in England in 1780 without music, but as a chant or rhyme. The tunes of collected versions vary. Similar versons have also been found in the folk music traditions of Scotland, France and the Faroe Islands dating from the same time period. The standard tune that we have become accustomed to in Pennsylvania was derived from a 1909 arrangement of a traditional folk melody by English composer Frederic Austin, who first introduced the now familiar prolongation of the verse "five gold rings". In 1780 a London children's book, known as Mirth without Mischief, was published that actually had a song known as "The Twelve Days of Christmas sung at King Pepin's Ball". This version of the song didn't have the word "On" (On the first day of Christmas) as part of the song. That word wasn't added until the 1909 version. Also, in early versions of the song, "my true love sent" me the gifts rather than the 19th century version where "my true love gave to me". Another variant was having a juniper tree or June apple tree rather than a pear tree. Just doesn't sound right to say "a partridge in a juniper tree". No matter what the history of the song may be, it is just so much fun to sing "The Twelve Days of Christmas". Did you ever notice that each day the gifts tend to be more elaborate and expensive until a menagerie of people, animals and objects have all been given to one very lucky true love.
Supposedly the twelve days refers to the time between Christmas day and the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6. It was in the late 20th century that priest Father Hal Stockert said the song had originally been used to teach children the true meaning of Christmas at a time when practicing Catholicism was illegal in Britain which was 1558 to 1829. A little over twenty years ago a Canadian musicologist published a theory that was called, "How to Decode the Twelve Days of Christmas" which also suggests the song was used to teach the meaning of Christmas during the same time period. Father Stockert said the hidden Catholic meaning in the song went like this:
- 1 partridge in a pear tree: Jesus Christ, the Son of God
- 2 turtledoves: the Old and New Testaments
- 3 French hens: the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity
- 4 collie birds: the four gospels and/or the four evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke and ohn
- 5 golden rings: the first five books of the Old Testament
- 6 geese a-laying: the six days of creation
- 7 swans a-swimming: the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit and/or 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 10 Commandments
- 11 pipers pipping: the 11 faithful disciples (minus Judas, who betrayed Christ)
- 12 drummers drumming: the 12 points of doctrine in the Apostles' Creed
Sounds good, but there is no documentation or historical evidence that what I just typed means anything. There are also many meanings for the twelve days after Christmas that have to do with the many Saints celebrated in Christianity. I'm sure if you want "The Twelve Days of Christmas" to be more than just a Christmas carol, you can find it...or even make it up yourself. For me...I just love singing along to the song whether it be the traditional version or the Jimmy Buffett version as I wrote about yesterday. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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