-Caveat Lector- http://www.postnet.com/postnet/stories.nsf/ByDocID/A45A9221870F847D862569C0003EBF4E -or go here- http://www.postnet.com and use search COPIED FROM: ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH Posted: Monday, December 25, 2000 | 5:25 a.m. E-mail this Story to a friend "The 12 Days of Christmas" is code for Roman Catholic beliefs By Pamela Selbert Special To The Post-Dispatch Whether you like the song or not, you'd have to admit that the holiday season would seem less than complete without at least a few new versions of "The 12 Days of Christmas" spilling out over the airwaves. Around this time of year, you can hardly walk into a store or elevator or turn on the radio without hearing the repetitive ditty (that goes on longer than any song has a right to). It isn't really a Christmas "carol" as Webster defines the word, a "ballad of religious joy." In fact, it would seem to have little to do with Christmas at all, except in the most secular sense -- all the gifts "from my true love," and they do sound pretty odd (I certainly wouldn't much want any of them, except maybe the five gold rings). The melody is unexceptional and the words are silly. It all sounds more like nonsense set to rhyme and music than a hymn welcoming the Christ Child. But like so many things that aren't what they appear to be, "The 12 Days of Christmas" has significance beyond the seemingly trite "gifts." The song, which first appeared in England about 1780, was written to allow Roman Catholics to practice their faith without fear of reprisal, at a time when music and poetry were often used to express ideas contrary to what the law allowed. (Similarly, though their real meanings are mostly lost to us now, Mother Goose rhymes were disguised political commentaries in their not-so-tolerant day.) Between 1558, the year Queen Elizabeth I ascended the throne, and 1829, when George IV was king, Catholics in England were prohibited by law from practicing their faith both in public and private. The English had begun writing Christmas carols in the 15th century, but when the Puritans came to power they suppressed both Christmas and its carols. After Christmas was restored in England, festive songs praising the occasion were written, but the only legal church was the state church -- Church of England. To teach their children basic doctrine, Catholic parents used nonsense songs, among them "The 12 Days of Christmas," that would not arouse suspicion in non-Catholics around them but would remind the children of their faith. What we think of as a silly song today was popular two centuries ago as a Catechism song, a memory aid. The song's "gifts" all have hidden meanings. For instance, the "true love" is not an earthly suitor but God himself. The "me" who receives the strange sequence of gifts is every baptized person or the church. The "partridge in a pear tree" is Jesus. A mother partridge will feign injury to decoy predators away from her defenseless nestlings, and even, if necessary, give up her life for her children. The pear tree is a reminder of the cross. The song presents Jesus symbolically as a mother partridge, remembering his expression of sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered thee under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but thou wouldst not have it so." (Luke 13:34). Each of the 12 verses camouflages a religious theme. "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree." The first of the 12 days of the Christmas celebration was Dec. 26, the day after Christmas, continuing through Jan. 6, Epiphany, the traditional day for celebrating the coming of the wise men to worship Jesus and bring him gifts. "On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me two turtle doves." The doves represent the Old and New Testaments, gifts that each Christian receives. "On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me three French hens." When the song was written, only the rich could afford the costly birds. They represent the three great gifts of faith, hope and love. "So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13) "On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me four calling birds." The birds stand for the four Evangelists: Matthew, a tax collector in Judea, whom Jesus called to be one of his apostles; Mark, or John Mark, a young boy at the time of Jesus' ministry, who later teamed up with St. Paul on his first missionary journey; Luke, a Greek physician, and the only non-Jewish writer in the Bible; and John, one of the 12 apostles, who wrote his Gospel many years after Jesus was crucified, while he himself was imprisoned for his faith on the island of Patmos. "On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me five gold rings." These stand for the first five books of the Old Testament, also known as the Torah or Pentateuch. Written by Moses, these books contain the early history of the Jews, the Ten Commandments and all the laws derived from them. Revered by the Jews, these books were considered to be worth more than gold, "even much fine gold." (Psalms 19:9-10). "On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me six geese a laying." The laying geese represent the six days of creation: God spoke the word and brought forth life. "And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day." (Genesis 1:31). Eggs are an almost universal symbol of new life. "On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me seven swans a-swimming." These stand for the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: prophecy, service, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership and mercy (Romans 16:6-8). "On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me eight maids a-milking." These represent the eight Beatitudes of Jesus (Matthew 5:3-10): "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." "On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me nine ladies dancing." The ladies stand for the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit, "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23) "On the 10th day of Christmas my true love gave to me 10 lords a-leaping." The lords represent the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20:3-17. "On the 11th day of Christmas my true love gave to me 11 pipers piping." These represent the 11 apostles who remained faithful to Jesus: "Simon, whom he named Peter; his brother Andrew; James; John; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; James, son of Alphius; Simon, called the Zealot; Judas, son of James." (The last is not Judas Iscariot, who was the traitor.) (Luke 6:14-16) "On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me 12 drummers drumming." These represent the 12 beliefs that set Christians apart, as outlined in the Apostles' Creed. "I believe in God the Father, maker of heaven and earth. "I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, "Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. "He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. "The third day He arose from the dead. "He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. "He shall return to judge the living and the dead. "I believe in the Holy Spirit, "The holy catholic church, the communion of saints, "The forgiveness of sins, "The resurrection of the body, "And life everlasting. Amen. For years, the ditty helped youngsters learn their Catechism. Then in 1829, the English Parliament legalized Catholicism, and there was no more need to study in secret. Today, ironically, the song is associated only with the secular side of Christmas. Freedom of religion is one of those things you don't notice much unless it's gone, but "The 12 Days of Christmas," which helped keep the faith alive when Catholics weren't free, is still with us. ****** Sources: "A Handbook of Catholic Sacramentals" by Ann Ball; "The Real Twelve Days of Christmas" by Helen Haidle; "Encyclopedia of Christmas" by Tanya Gulevich. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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