Christmas
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The Twelve
Days of Christmas - did you
know? People often think of The Twelve Days of Christmas as the days
preceding the festival. Actually, Christmas is a season of the Christian
Year that lasts for days beginning December 25 and ending January 6 -
the Day of Epiphany - when the church celebrates the revelation of
Christ as the light of the world and recalls the journey of the
Magi. From 1558 until 1829 people in England were not allowed to
practice their faith openly. During this era someone wrote 'The Twelve
Days of Christmas' as a kind of secret catechism that could be sung in
public without risk of persecution. The song has two levels of
interpretation: "the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to
members of the church." Each element in the carol is a code word for a
religious reality. 1. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus
Christ. 2. The two turtledoves are the Old and New Testaments. 3.
Three French hens stand for faith, hope and love. 4. The four calling
birds are the four Gospels. 5. The five gold rings recall the torah
(Law) the first five books of the Old Testament. 6. The six geese
a-laying stand for the six days of creation. 7. Seven swans
a-swimming represent the sevenfold gifts of the Spirit. 8. The eight
maids a-milking are the eight beatitudes. 9. Nine ladies dancing are
the nine fruits of the spirit (Gal.5). 10. The ten lords a-leaping
are the Ten Commandments. 11. Eleven pipers piping stand for the
eleven faithful disciples. 12. Twelve drummers drumming symbolize the
12 points of belief in the Apostles Creed.
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