Christmas Mystery

November 30, 2007 | By User Imagebokjae | In Christianity 

Christmas is less than a month away and soon you'll hear Christmas Songs being played at hotels, shopping malls etc. There is one particular Carol that I never understood its meaning and thats the Twelve Days of Christmas! Do you? Then some years back someone sent me this excerpt explaining the meaning and so hope to pass on to those who want to know the meaning of this favourite Carol!

12 Days of Christmas--Defined

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas? Today, I found out. From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality, which the children could remember. The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ. Two turtledoves were the Old and New Testaments Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love. The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament. The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation. Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit: Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy. The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes. Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control. The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments. The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples. The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in The Apostles' Creed.
So now you can enjoy this Carol in its proper meaning!


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6 Responses to “Christmas Mystery”

  1. Vivienne on November 30th, 2007 6:11 am

    Thanks … learn something new today

  2. J@n!ce on November 30th, 2007 9:39 am

    Thanks for sharing… I din know that they are so meaningful :)

    Janice Ng

  3. Hor ny Ang Moh on November 30th, 2007 11:08 am

    Hallo! Tq for this nice information! Oh I enter for the laptop contest! Tq tq very much! Btw tq for dropping at my site! Have a nice day!

  4. http://masslogics.com on November 30th, 2007 11:47 am

    I had no idea about that. thanks for let us know.

  5. bokjae on November 30th, 2007 5:31 pm

    Thanks vivienne, j@nice, horny and masslogics! Glad that you folks like this! I didn’t know too until someone shared with me!

  6. Trinity on December 1st, 2007 8:29 am

    :-) Wow!! What a meaning behind the code! I should write down this new defined song! Thank you for sharing this…

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