THE TRUE MEANING of On the first day of Christmas My True Love gave to me: A Partridge in a Pear Tree. On the second day of Christmas My True Love gave to me: Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree. On the third day of Christmas My True Love gave to me: Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree. On the fourth day of Christmas My True Love gave to me: Four Calling Birds Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree. On the fifth day of Christmas My True Love gave to me: Five Golden Rings Four Calling Birds Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree. On the sixth day of Christmas My True Love gave to me: Six Geese a Laying Five Golden Rings Four Calling Birds Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree. On the seventh day of Christmas My True Love gave to me: Seven Swans a Swimming Six Geese a Laying Five Golden Rings Four Calling Birds Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree. On the eighth day of Christmas My True Love gave to me: Eight Maids a Milking Seven Swans a Swimming Six Geese a Laying Five Golden Rings Four Calling Birds Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree. On the ninth day of Christmas My True Love gave to me: Nine Ladies Dancing Eight Maids a Milking Seven Swans a Swimming Six Geese a Laying Five Golden Rings Four Calling Birds Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree. On the tenth day of Christmas My True Love gave to me: Ten Lords a Leaping Nine Ladies Dancing Eight Maids a Milking Seven Swans a Swimming Six Geese a Laying Five Golden Rings Four Calling Birds Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree. On the eleventh day of Christmas My True Love gave to me: Eleven Pipers Piping Ten Lords a Leaping Nine Ladies Dancing Eight Maids a Milking Seven Swans a Swimming Six Geese a Laying Five Golden Rings Four Calling Birds Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree, On the twelfth day of Christmas My True Love gave to me: Twelve Drummers Drumming Eleven Pipers Piping Ten Lords a Leaping Nine Ladies Dancing Eight Maids a Milking Seven Swans a Swimming Six Geese a Laying Five Golden Rings Four Calling Birds Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree. 12 Days of CHRISTMAS People often think of the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” as the days before December 25th. However, “Christmas” is actually a season of the Christian year known as “Christmastide”, which begins on December 25 and lasts until January 6th - the day of Epiphany (a holiday which celebrates the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus.) This period was one of continuous feasting and merrymaking. The 12 days of Christmastide were so popular that William Shakespeare used it for one of his plays – “Twelfth Night”. The song “The 12 Days of Christmas” was an English Christmas carol apparently adapted from a similar French song. The version that we are familiar with today was developed by the Catholic Church because of the persecution of Christians in Britain. From 1558 until 1829, people in England were not allowed to practice their faith openly. If fact, if anyone was caught with anything in writing indicating their belief in the Catholic faith, they could be: imprisoned hanged shortened by a head (execution by beheading) or hanged, drawn and quartered (A peculiar and ghastly punishment involving hanging a person by the neck until he was almost dead; then he was taken down from the gallows, and disemboweled while still alive. While the entrails were lying on the street, the executioners would stomp on them. Then the victim’s limbs were tied to four large farm horses, and he was literally torn apart.) It was during this era that “The 12 Days of Christmas” was used as a kind of secret code concerning several important lessons about Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the Christian faith as recorded in the Bible. These lessons could be sung in public without the risk of persecution. The hidden meaning of the song would only be understood by Christians. The 12 Days of CHRISTMAS Secret Code CODE for - My True Love gave to me: My “True Love” - stands for Our Father God! GOD is OUR TRUE LOVE!!! He showed how much He loves us by giving us the GIFT OF HIS ONLY SON! “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” - John 3:16 CODE FOR DAY 1 - Partridge in a pear tree “Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the LORD: for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains.” – 1 Sam. 26:20 The “partridge” in a pear tree - is Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! A partridge is a bird related to the pheasant, quail and chicken. The mother partridge will act as a decoy to protect her defenseless chicks from predators. (She would pretend to be injured in order to draw predators away from her nest.) She literally risks her life for her children. This example of the partridge represents the reason for the birth of Christ: “…and I lay down my life for the sheep." - John 10:15 Also, one of the Hebrew definitions for partridge is . “caller.” Our Lord and Savior Jesus “calls us” to be His disciples and spread His Message to the world: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.” – Matt. 28:19-20 The pear tree was actually a mistake in translation; the French word for partridge is “perdrix” – pronounced per-dree. However, it came to represent the cross on which Christ was crucified. CODE FOR DAY 2 - Two Turtledoves “And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old . and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”- Gen. 15:9 The “two turtledoves” - are the Old and New Testaments. A turtledove is a type of small dove which sings a “trrrr, trrrr” song to announce the arrival of Spring—a season symbolic of new life. Doves have become emblems of devoted love. God’s Word (as dictated in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible), is an emblem of His great love for His children. Both the Old and New Testaments contain information about God’s greatest gift to man, namely, His Son Jesus Christ . Who is Our Symbol of New Life: “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” Rev. 21:5 Turtledoves were used as part of the sacrificial ritual the Ancient Hebrews were commanded to make. However, after Christ was born, these rituals were no longer necessary, for Christ Himself became our Sacrifice for all of our sins: “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” – Eph. 5:2 CODE FOR DAY 3 - Three French Hens “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, [thou] that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings, and ye would not!” – Matt. 23:37 The “three French hens” - stand for faith, hope and love. The 3 French hens may refer to the “French Guinea Hens.” Guinea hens lay many eggs, and the entire flock will often lay in a single nest. Sometimes hens share the incubation duties, but usually a single hen will sit on all the eggs. (A hen was known to sit on as many as 70 eggs!) The hen performing this duty is a beautiful example of the three great Christian virtues - faith, hope and love: o Faith - steadfastness in belief o Hope - expectation of and desire of receiving; refraining from despair and capability of not giving up o Love - selfless, unconditional, and voluntary loving-kindness CODE FOR DAY 4 - Four calling birds “Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.” – Matt. 13:32 The “four calling birds” - are the four Gospels in the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The calling birds actually are “colley” birds, a type of blackbird. In England, a coal mine is called a colliery. The name “colly or collie” derives from this and means “black like coal.” Blackbirds, like many woodland birds, space themselves out so that each breeding pair of birds works a small area without encroaching on the next pair. In order to attain this separation, the birds need to alert each other to where they are and they do this by singing loudly.