Lyrical Cheer: The 12 Days of Christmas

Christmas is supposed to be a time customs and good cheer. Although, most of life might not be jolly, the Christmas season is meant to bring renew cheer. one of the ways we bring holiday cheer is through music. no matter what, music seems to bring people together in ways we never thought could be possible. And, as is almost always true, the lyrics We sing May sometimes have a deeper meaning than we would think. Because of this, today we start a new series: Lyrical Cheer... And our first song is none other than the 12 Days of Christmas!

Today, we totally hear the voice of Bing Crosby swinging singing with the Andrew sisters of the 12 Days of Christmas. From the drummer's, to the papers, to the five golden rings, the lyrics are easy and catchy. Yet, they mean so much more then just a gift of a partridge in a pear tree (and what an odd gift that would be).

There are a lot of theories circling this traditional song and its meaning. The most popular belief is that the song is about Christianity:

          ~ The Partridge in the Pear Tree is Jesus Christ.
          ~ The 2 Turtle Doves are The Old and New Testaments.
          ~ The 3 French hens are Faith, Hope, and Charity, the theological virtues.
          ~ The 4 Calling Birds are the four gospels and/or the four evangelists.
          ~ The 5 Golden Rings are the first five books of the Old Testament.
          ~ The 6 Geese A-laying are the six days of creation.
          ~ The 7 Swans A-swimming are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven           

             sacraments.
          ~ The 8 Maids A-milking are the eight beatitudes.
          ~ The 9 Ladies Dancing are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit.
          ~ The 10 Lords A-leaping are the ten commandments.
          ~ The 11 Pipers Piping are the eleven faithful apostles.
          ~ The 12 Drummers Drumming are the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle’s           

             Creed.

The theory behind all of this is that the words were codes Catholics used while they were being persecuted by English Protestants. Although we could still find out that there is some validity in this theory, it is not currently believed by many historians. As a historian I currently cannot tell you who is right or wrong with the theory that this not true, but I can tell you that certain arguments against the theory are misplaced and invalid.

When you Google this topic most results will say that the song is not about Catholicism because if the people singing it were so scared, why would they sing a song that has Christmas right in it. What I can say to this is that, in the medevil times, the Catholics were being persecuted mostly on English soil. Now, the ruling power being of the Protestant faith was a problem for Catholics in England, but singing the term Christmas would not have been. When King Henry VIII created the Church of England he kept a lot of the traditions the same, including Christmas. Because of this, it is still a possibility that the lyrics might refer to hidden beliefs. Although it is still important to keep in mind that they have also been updated for a more modern feel.