By: Francesca Montillo, ISDA Food + Travel Writer
It might seem incredible given that, these days, we see Christmas items at the shops sometimes before Halloween, but did you realize that the real Christmas season actually starts on Christmas Day itself?
That’s right; Dec. 25 marks the official start of the 12 days of Christmas, the Christian tradition that shares its name with that famous Christmas carol.
But what lies behind the lyrics of this song and what do these strange gifts received from “true love” mean? Let’s try to find out.
What are the 12 days of Christmas?
The 12 days of Christmas are, in Christian theology, the period between the birth of Christ and the arrival of the three wise men. They therefore begin on Christmas Day and extend to the evening of Jan. 5, the eve of the Epiphany, sometimes also called the Day of the Three Kings.
Instead, the four weeks leading up to Christmas are collectively known as Advent, which ends on Dec. 24.
The 12 days were celebrated in Europe from before the Middle Ages and were a time of celebration. Families who chose to celebrate the 12-day period celebrated the feast days of various saints, including St. Stephen’s Day on Dec. 26, and by planning the daily activities related to Christmas. Let’s see what the 12 days represent:
Day 1 (Dec. 25): Christmas, celebration of the birth of Jesus
Day 2 (Dec. 26): St. Stephen’s Day, the first Christian martyr.
Day 3 (Dec. 27): St. John the Apostle (one of Jesus’ disciples and friends)
Day 4 (Dec. 28): The Feast of the Holy Innocents, when people remember the children killed by King Herod during his search for the baby Jesus
Day 5 (Dec. 29): St. Thomas Becket. He was archbishop of Canterbury in the 12th century and was assassinated on Dec. 29, 1170 for contesting the king’s authority over the Church.
Day 6 (Dec. 30): St. Egwin of Worcester.
Day 7 (Dec. 31): New Years Eve. One of the first popes (in the 4th century), Pope Sylvester I, is traditionally celebrated on this day.
Day 8 (Jan. 1): – Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is celebrated.
Day 9 (Jan. 2): St. Basilio Magno and St. Gregorio Nazianzeno, two important Christians of the 4th century.
Day 10 (Jan. 3): Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. This commemorates when Jesus was officially “appointed” in the Jewish temple.
Day 11 (Jan. 4): St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American saint, who lived in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the past, the feast of St. Simone Stiliti was also celebrated.
Day 12 (Jan. 5, also known as Epiphany Eve): St. John Neumann who was the first bishop in America. He lived in the 19th century.
“The Twelve Days of Christmas” is also a Christmas carol in which the singer boasts of all the beautiful gifts received from the “true love” during the 12 days of Christmas.
Each verse builds on the previous one. The song then adds a gift for each day, based on the previous verse, until all 12 gifts are recited together.
The gifts are:
Day 1: A partridge in a pear tree
Day 2: Two turtledoves
Day 3: Three French hens
Day 4: Four calling birds
Day 5: Five gold rings
Day 6: Six geese a laying
Day 7: Seven swans swimming
Day 8: Eight maids a milking
Day 9: Nine ladies dancing
Day 10: Ten lords a leaping
Day 11: Eleven pipers piping
Day 12: Twelve drummers drumming
But what meaning do these strange gifts have anyways?
The meaning of the song Twelve Days of Christmas seems very clear: it is a courtship during which a man gives his beloved twelve gifts, one for each Christmas day. What leaves us puzzled, however, is the type of gift she receives. The song has been analyzed by many scholars, who have given various interpretations, from the most religious to those most linked to the pagan tradition. See an example of one interpretation below:
A Partridge in a Pear Tree would symbolize Jesus, who pretends to be hurt in order to attract predators to him and distract them from the defenseless children in the nest.
The two turtledoves are the Old and the New Testament.
The three French hens are the three theological virtues: faith, hope and charity.
Four songbirds such as the four evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, who proclaim the word of God.
Five gold rings to recall the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
The geese would represent the six days of creation.
Swans would represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, intellect, counsel, fortitude, science, piety and the fear of God.
The eight virgins (milking maidens) would be the eight beatitudes (Matthew 5: 3-10).
The nine dancing maidens would be the respective fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control. (Galatians 5: 22)
The ten lords would symbolize the ten commandments (Exodus 20: 1-17).
Eleven Pipers Piping – The eleven flute players would represent the faithful apostles: Simon called Peter, Peter’s brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, Judas of James (Luke 6: 14-16). The twelfth apostle, Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus is excluded from the list.
The twelve players represent the twelve points of the apostolic creed.
So while Christmas may be behind us, let us not be too quick to move along; instead let us enjoy the season all the way to Jan. 6.
