The Christmas Carol the "Twelve Days of Christmas" has always been one of my favorite Christmas Carols, but I always just thought it was a fun song to sing and did not know the true meaning of it until a friend of mine sent me the real meaning and it is as follows.
From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were Not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning. Plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each Element in the carol
has a code word for a religious reality. Which the children could remember.
The partridge in a pear tree was
Jesus Christ.
Two turtle doves were the Old and
New Testaments.
Three French hens stood for faith,
hope and love.
The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke &
John.
The five golden rings recalled the
Torah or Law, the first five books of
the Old Testament.
The six geese a-laying stood for the
six days of creation.
Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy
Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution,
Leadership, and Mercy.
The eight maids a-milking were the
eight beatitudes.
Nine ladies dancing were the nine
fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience,Kindness,
Goodness,Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.
& gt;
The ten lords a-leaping were the ten
commandments.
The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in
the Apostles' Creed.
So there is your history for today.
Merry (Twelve Days of) Christmas Everyone.....
Comments(0)