There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens,
swimming swans,and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?
This week, I found out that:
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.
-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. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish.'
Merry (Twelve Days of) Christmas Everyone - and, remember, the Twelve Days of Christmas are the 12 days following December 25th.
The Christmas Season runs until Epiphany, January 6.
1/07/2012 05:04:00 AM by Stz Anne Y