For centuries, there has been a song that has circulated during the Christmas season. The song, “The 12 days of Christmas” is more than just an earworm that gets stuck in an individual’s head.
Research shows that the 12 days of Christmas is a Christian theology period that begins on December 25 and ends on January 6. This marks the span between the birth of Christ (Christmas) and the arrival of the Magi (Three King’s Day or the Epiphany).
The four weeks before Christmas are known as Advent. It begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on December 24.
Some religions mark the 12-day period after Christmas by planning daily Christmas-related endeavors and observing days of various saints like St. Stephen, even though it is on December 26.
The Christmas carol, “The 12 days of Christmas” is about a person who brags about the different gifts they received from their true love during the 12-day event. The lyrics begin at day one and builds up to the twelfth. The preceding days are repeated to build on to the following days.
The lyrics start out with, "On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me a partridge in a pear tree.” Then, for the days that follow, the lyrics change to the number of the day, and then the present. Subsequently, the number of gifts matches the number of the day in the event.
The rest of the gifts are as follows: two turtle doves, three French hens, four calling birds, five gold rings, six geese a-laying, seven swans a-swimming, eight maids a-milking, nine ladies dancing, 10 lords a-leaping, 11 pipers piping, and 12 drummers drumming.
The earliest recorded version of the carol dates to the 18th century. It appeared in a children’s book titled Mirth With-out Mischief (circa 1780).
While some critics believe the song has French origins, almost all critics agree that the song was designed for a “memory and forfeits” game. This is where the singers tested their memory and had to award their opponents a kiss of a favor of sorts if they missed a lyric.
The lyrics have not always included the “swans a-swimming,” or “maids a-milking.” Some versions had “bears a-baiting” or “ships a-sailing.” Some earlier versions sang about four “colly” birds, instead of “calling birds.” Colly is an archaic term for something that is black as coal. This means the lyric was theorized to be about blackbirds. Some people believe the reference to the five golden rings meant the markings of a ring-necked pheasant; this would align with the early bird motif.
No matter where the song originated, or how many variations of it exist, the most familiar version was penned by an English composer named Frederic Austin. Austin set the melody and the lyrics by changing “colly” to “calling.” He also added his own style to the carol by adding the drawn-out cadence for "five go-old rings.”
Some theorize that the carol is a code for Christianity and each day has a higher meaning. It is believed that the partridge signifies Jesus Christ. The rest of the days are thought to signify the following: the turtle doves - Old and New Testaments, and the French hens - faith, hope and charity (the Theological Virtues), the calling birds - the four gospels and/or the four evangelists, the golden rings - t he five books of the Old Testament, the geese - the six days of creation, and the swans – the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments, maids – the eight beatitudes, ladies – the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Lords – the ten commandments, pipers – the eleven faithful apostles, and drummers – the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle’s Creed.
Many people believe the song is a hidden meaning for Christianity. However, Snopes.com has debunked that theory.
It does not matter if the song is a code for Christianity, or just a ditty for a Christmas sing-along, it is a carol that will be sung for many more Christmases to come.