Twelve Days of Christmas

Every year on Christmas Day my family sings The Twelve Days of Christmas. We each take one of the days, and when our turn comes we sing with confidence, albeit slightly out of tune. My niece, Megan, snaps up the 5 Golden Rings. No one bothers any more to appeal for that day! It is hers for all eternity.

As much as I enjoy that silly song, I would rather talk about its hidden meaning.

Long ago in England, when Catholics were prohibited from practicing their faith, the song was a catechetical device for teaching children the basics of their faith.

It might be fun to try to work out what each of the gifts represented. I was able to crack the code on some, but others escaped me!

The true love is a reference to God. I got that one!

But I had to do some research to figure out most of them, although I think most people could figure that the 10 lords a’ leaping are the 10 commandments. It would take too long to unpack them all here, but I refer you to a website for the rest. I can’t resist just one more- my favorite. The 5 Golden Rings! This represents the first 5 books of the Bible- the Jewish Torah. I wonder what Megan would think about that!

Check it out! http://www.appleseeds.org/12_days-christmas.htm

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