The Origin of the 12 Days of Christmas

The Origins of the Twelve Days of Christmas

We are all familiar with the Christmas song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” To most of us, it is a delightful nonsense rhyme set to music. But it had a quite serious purpose when it was written.

It is a good deal more than just a repetitious melody with pretty phrases and a list of strange gifts.

Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829, when Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England, were prohibited from ANY practice of their faith by law – private or public. It was a crime to BE a Catholic.

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” was written in England as one of the “catechism songs” to help young Catholics learn the tenets of their faith. It was a memory aid at a time when to be caught with anything in writing indicating adherence to the Catholic faith could not only get you imprisoned, it could get you hanged, drawn and quartered – a rather peculiar and ghastly punishment that perhaps was never practiced anywhere else.

Hanging, drawing and quartering involved hanging a person by the neck until they had almost, but not quite, suffocated to death. The party was then taken down from the gallows, and disemboweled while still alive. While the entrails were still lying on the street (where the executioners stomped all over them), the victim was tied to four large farm horses, and literally torn into five parts – one to each limb and the remaining torso.

The songs gifts are hidden meanings to the teachings of the faith. The “true love” mentioned in the song doesn’t refer to an earthly suitor, it refers to God Himself. The “me” who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge which feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, much in memory of the expression of Christ’s sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: (“Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered thee under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but thou wouldst not have it so…”)

The other symbols mean the following:

 1 Partridge in a Pear Tree = Jesus Christ, Son of God

 2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments

 3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues

 4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists

 5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the “Pentateuch”, which gives the history of man’s fall from grace.

 6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation

 7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, 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 ten commandments

 11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles

 12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle’s Creed

Coffee Cup Conversation News

—The Wall Street Journal let the cat out of the bag last Friday, announcing Comcast was considering deal with NBC. The two companies would form a new company, with Comcast owning 51% of the stock. This signals the first time that cable channels would become more valuable than network channels. In 2004, Comcast attempted to purchase Walt Disney Co but the deal was ultimately abandoned. If talks become reality, it would signal a deep change in the television industry of the future. Comcast has 24 million cable subs nationwide, 15.3 million Internet customers, and 7 million telephone service customers. NBC owns 16 stations, and shows such as ‘The Office’, ‘The Jay Leno Show’, and the Biggest Loser.’

—Ben Roethlisberger is the highest paid Pittsburgh professional athlete making an annual salary of $20,350,000, according to the Pittsburgh Business Times. Pittsburgh Penguin Sidney Crosby will cash paychecks totaling $9,000,000 this year, and Steeler Hines Ward may want to speak with his agent. He only will make $5,525,000 this year. The highest paid Pirates is pitcher Paul Maholm making $2,500,000 followed closely by Matt Capps at $2,425,000. 

—Real estate is up for grabs in Armstrong County. The Eljer Schenley warehouse is available for $962,500.  The Kittanning Brick Company on River Road in Adrian is available for $600,000. Manor Square on Main Street in Ford City is being offered at $375,000. There is land available for development along Route 268 in Kittanning at a reported selling price of $289,000.  If you are looking for retail space, Hilltop Plaza is looking to lease 5,330 square feet at $13 per square foot. Manor Square will lease space for between $10-$12 per square foot.

—Perhaps the Armstrong County industrial development group should consider hiring Ford City councilman Tom Shaffer. He seems to have a grasp on companies wanting to locate in Armstrong County. It is amazing what can be accomplished over a cup of coffee after hours in a diner compared to making an appointment with bureaucrats at county offices.