meaning of 12 days of christmas: On the 12th Day of Christmas - 12/24/09 12:17 AM
On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:twelve drummers drumming, eleven pipers piping, ten lords a-leaping, nine ladies dancing,eight maids a-milking, seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying, five golden rings,four colly birds, three french hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.
In ancient times, drums were often associated with war, since they were used to signal troops marching off to battle.  They were brought into Europe during the Crusades.  In England's earlier days, they had town watchmen who patrolled the English streets at night, calling out the time every hour.  Eventually, … (19 comments)

meaning of 12 days of christmas: On the Eleventh Day of Christmas - 12/23/09 02:01 AM
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:eleven pipers piping, ten lords a-leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking,seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying, five golden rings, four colly birds,three french hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.
I don't know about you, but when I hear "pipers", I think of the Pied Piper that played the flute that caused all the rats to follow him out of the city.  Well, in this case, the pipers are playing bagpipes.  Shepherds practiced their piping while watching over sheep.  It is also widely … (5 comments)

meaning of 12 days of christmas: On the Tenth Day of Christmas - 12/22/09 02:19 AM
On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:ten lords a-leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a swimming,six geese a laying, five golden rings, four colly birds, three french hens, two turtle dovesand a partridge in a pear tree.
Are we already up to the tenth day of Christmas?  That means only two more after today.  Wow!  Dances that involved leaping were strictly for men.  They were used to get them geared up to go into war and to help their crops grow.  It was believed in ancient Roman times that corn would grow as … (10 comments)

meaning of 12 days of christmas: On the Ninth Day of Christmas - 12/21/09 12:42 AM
On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying, five golden rings,four colly birds, three french hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.
Music and dancing have been a big part of celebrations for centuries.  Early on, dancing was considered "sinful".  Eventually, though, dancing was accepted as a popular form of entertainment for royalty.  These dances were called "caroles".  In Medieval times, dancing was done in a circular motion.  The church decided, however, that dancing was sinful if done in the … (7 comments)

meaning of 12 days of christmas: On the Eighth Day of Christmas - 12/20/09 05:28 AM
On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:eight maids a-milking, seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying, five golden rings,four colly birds, three french hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.
Fresh milk was a rarity in the middle ages, due to the fact that this was long before pasteurization and reliable refrigeration were available.  Custards and something that resembles modern day oatmeal were pretty well known ways to consume products with milk in them.  But, cheese was THE prized possession.  That was one of the only ways to get dairy through … (12 comments)

meaning of 12 days of christmas: On the Seventh Day of Christmas - 12/19/09 12:22 PM
On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying, five golden rings, four colly birds,three french hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.
Ancient Egyptians believed that swans were symbols of immortality.  Some old British and Celtic myths spoke of dead loved ones turning into swans, with gold or silver chains around their necks.  In medieval times, King Edward was bestowed his knighthood over two swans that were decorated with crowns and gold nets.  Ever since then and continuing on today, swans have been associated with royalty, … (10 comments)

meaning of 12 days of christmas: On the Sixth Day of Christmas - 12/18/09 12:44 AM
On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four colly birds, three french hens,two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree
One of the oldest domesticated birds, geese have been a part of folklore for centuries.  Because geese follow well-defined migratory paths between their breeding grounds and wintering grounds, they are considered a symbol of the solar year and fertlity.  Egyptians believed that a mummy's soul would rise up in the form of a goose, with the head of a human.  Romans considered the goose sacred because the geese that … (4 comments)

meaning of 12 days of christmas: On the Fifth Day of Christmas - 12/17/09 12:39 AM
On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to mefive golden rings, four colly birds, three french hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.
You may be surprised to learn that the five golden rings in this song are not actually golden rings you would wear.  Shocking!  They refer to the rings on a pheasant's neck.  Why a pheasant?  When Jason and the Argonauts went to Greece in search of the Golden Fleece, they found lots of golden birds.  The ring-necked pheasant is believed to be a direct descendent of these original "Golden Fleece" birds … (12 comments)

meaning of 12 days of christmas: On the Fourth Day of Christmas - 12/16/09 12:37 AM
On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to mefour colly birds, three french hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.
No, that's not a typo.  You read that right.  All these years I have been singing "four calling birds", but the truth is that the real line is "four COLLY birds".  Colly birds are actually European black birds.  "Colly" was the slang term for "coal-y", referring to the black as coal color of the birds.  With the accent, "colly" sounded an awful lot like "calling", which is what we know it as today.
In … (7 comments)

meaning of 12 days of christmas: On the Third Day of Christmas - 12/15/09 02:16 AM
On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.
Some people believe that this classic Christmas song originated in France and that the "3 French Hens" verse of the song is a nod to that.  Large birds were brought to Europe from the Orient in the 1700s and were bred with Roman chickens to create a new breed altogether.  These white chickens were thought to bring good luck and hens were supposed to symbolize motherhood.
In Christianity, the three French hens are believed to represent Faith, … (4 comments)

meaning of 12 days of christmas: On the Second Day of Christmas - 12/14/09 12:57 AM
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.
Doves are known to mate for life.  In Christianity, they represent the holy spirit as well as the Old and New Testaments.  They also represent faithfulness, marriage and long-lasting love.  That is why they get released at weddings.

Tune in tomorrow when I talk about the third day of Christmas' three French hens.
Heather Chavez, Real Estate Virtual Assistant - Second Self Virtual Assistance: When There Isn't Enough of You to Go Around!
Read about the other days of … (14 comments)

meaning of 12 days of christmas: On The First Day of Christmas - 12/13/09 11:47 AM
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree.
I thought it would be fun to reveal what each day of this classic Christmas song represents.  You might be just be surprised.
Forklore says that, if a young maiden walked around a pear tree three times backwards on Christmas morning and looked into the branches, she would see the face of her future husband.  Also, just as the apple is said to represent woman (Garden of Eden ring a bell to anyone?), a pear is said to represent men.  A male partridge … (10 comments)