Religious Meaning Behind the Christmas Song "The Twelve Days of Christmas"

 

I always thought that the Christmas song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was just another song that was a lot of fun to sing. As kids, we would enjoy singing it because it is a catchy tune, but it also proved to be a test of our memories to see if we could get all twelve days in correct order. 

There is actually religious significance behind each day's gift that is given to the singer. The person whom the singer mentions in the repeated words "My true love gave to me" seems to be a very generous person, but now I know that it is all connected to the meaning of each of the twelve days. 

So what are the twelve days of Christmas? The first day is Christmas Day, December 25th, and the last day is January 5th (also known as the Twelfth Night). January 5th is Epiphany Eve, because January 6th is Epiphany – the day that the Three Wise Men/Three Kings visited the baby Jesus and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

Here is a breakdown of the gifts and what they represent:

Day One: A Partridge in a Pear Tree – The bird represents Jesus. The bird will give its life for its babies.

Day Two: Two Turtle Doves – The doves represent the Old and New Testament of the Christian Bible.

Day Three: Three French Hens – Represent the words of the Apostle Paul "faith, hope, and love."

Day Four: Four Calling Birds –  They represent the four Gospels written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Day Five: Five Golden Rings – Represent the five books of the Pentateuch (the Old Testament Law).

Day Six: Six Geese A-Laying  – They represent the six days God took to create everything. 

Day Seven: Seven Swans A-Swimming – The swans represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (found in Isaiah 11:1-2).

Day Eight: Eight Maids A-Milking – They represent the Beatitudes given by Jesus in (Matthew 5: 3-12). 

Day Nine: Nine Ladies Dancing – The ladies represent nine fruits of the Holy Spirit noted by the Apostle Paul in (Galatians 5: 22-23).

Day Ten: 10 Lords A-Leaping – The lords represent the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20)

Day Eleven: 11 Pipers Piping – The pipers represent the 11 Apostles who carried on Jesus' work after he ascended into heaven.

Day 12: 12 Drummers Drumming – The drummers represent the 12 points of belief in the Apostle's Creed.  

So, there you have it – all the religious meaning behind the 12 gifts given in the song. Now that I have learned about them, I don't think I will ever think of this song in the same way again. 

Now, if you're really unfamiliar with the song, take a listen to it and read the above meanings as you do so. Enjoy!