In the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas", what's with all the damn birds in the song (Partrigde in a pear tree, two turtle doves, etc)? Do these birds signify something signifigant? Are they just random ideas? Am I just crazy for thinking of this random question?
2006-12-23 13:32:50 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Holidays ➔ Christmas
* The 'partridge in a pear tree' means there is only one God and is also symbolic of Jesus (see Luke 13:34).
* The 'two turtle doves' are the Old and New Testaments.
* The 'three French hens' are the three Persons of the holy Trinity or the three virtues: faith, hope, and love, though according to Ace Collins' book "Stories of the Best Loved Christmas Songs", they represent the expensive gifts of the Wise Men: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
* The 'four calling birds' are the Evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; or their Gospels. Which makes sense because they are "calling" out the story.
* 'Five gold rings' are the first five books of the Bible, or the Pentateuch.
* 'Six geese a-laying' refer to the six days of the Creation.
* 'Seven swans a-swimming' are the seven sacraments and the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
* 'Eight maids a-milking' are the eight Beatitudes.
* 'Nine ladies dancing' are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit.
* 'Ten lords a-leaping' are the Ten Commandments.
* 'Eleven pipers piping' are the eleven faithful Apostles.
* 'Twelve drummers drumming' are the twelve doctrines in the Apostles' Creed.
2006-12-23 13:35:42 · answer #1 · answered by brand_new_monkey 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
According to some Roman Catholics, this carol might also have been used as a memory aid for teaching the Christian faith, but this is contradicted at www.snopes.com. In particular, from 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not allowed to practice their Faith openly. At that time (according to those Roman Catholics), this traditional English carol was adopted as a catechism song for young Catholics. For them, it had two levels of meaning: the original surface meaning as a love song, plus later hidden religious meanings. The hidden meanings parallel the verses of the Anglican catechism song "A New Dial" about the numbers on a sun-dial, and, in modern times, the religious connotations in the popular song "Deck of Cards".
One partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
Four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
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, exortation, contribution, leadership, and mercy.
Eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
From here on, the order is different from the original song!
Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.
Eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
Twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.
2006-12-23 13:45:41 · answer #2 · answered by Sabrina S 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In England when they were persecuting catholics, the 12 Days of christmas was written for the 12 days of advent, but in reality it was to teach catholic doctrine: Partridge in a pear tree= Christ on the cross; 2 Turtledoves= old and new testaments; etc.
2006-12-23 13:37:42 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Twelve from the 12 tribes of Israel to the Sun God Zeus and his son Jesus (thats JeZeus) and his 12 months of the year and did you know that CHRISTMAS IS LIKE SANTA CLAUS
You know the Fatman is a fake and a fat, white lie, but you go along with it anyway, as you deceive the kids and make them future liars to their own kids.
The Dictionary of the Bible says that: By the 5th. Century, the Church (of Rome) had concerned itself enough to have set December 25 as the date of Jesus’ birth. This had been the date of the Festival of the Sun God Zeus and to the Christians a greater light was come, Jesus Christ, the true light of the World.
Fact is - the Sun God is Zeus, and Jesus is really Jezeus, and the Romans worshipped Zeus, and you can see Barnabas being called Zeus by the Priests of Zeus in the Acts of the Apostles 14:12-13, in the Bible. Mithra was another son of Zeus, but Je-Zeus was Zeus come down as his own son, which made him strictly a Roman God.
Sunday is also the day that was set aside for worship of the Sun God (Zeus) by the Romans.
The Winter Solstice gives us the shortest day in the year, December 22, as the birth of the new Sun, so Rome shifted it to the 25 December in order to celebrate the Feast of the Circumcision eight days later, on 1 January, in accepting Jezeus Christos as the Living God of the Sun risen from the dead.
Zeus and the Fathers of Christianity did not know there was a Southern Hemisphere that did not share the Sun God Zeus or his four seasons, or his twelve disciples or twelve months of the year with the Northern Hemisphere, and it is for this reason that Australia celebrates Christmas twice each year, with the White Christmas falling in June but is called Christmas in July since they know it is a lie.
So Christmas and Christianity were as ignorant of the nature of the Planet as was Santa Claus of the South Pole, and just as the Pope was afraid that Christopher Columbus might fall off the flat Planet in his attempt to reach India traveling westwards, so were Santa Claus and Zeus afraid to go below the Planet and into the Fires of Hell.
When Pope John Paul ii declared the Shroud of Turin a medieval fake after having it scientifically carbon-dated in 1988, he failed to point out that the Bible describes the use of two shrouds, with one for the head and another for the “body” of the 100 lbs of aloes and myrrh, the other perfect hoax.
TRY SOME HONESTY THIS YEAR.
EXPOSE THE FRAUD OF SANTA THE UNHOLY.
BRING THE TRUTH OF THE MESSIAH FROM THE QURAN TO LIGHT SO THAT MEN WHO ARE BORN BLIND MIGHT SEE THAT THE ONE TRUE GOD CAN HAVE NO SON OR NO PARTNER
.
HE IS ONE, HE ALWAYS WAS, HE IS, AND HE ALWAYS WILL BE!
PEACE ON EARTH AND GOODWILL TO ALL OF HUMANITY!
2006-12-23 20:44:11 · answer #4 · answered by mythkiller-zuba 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
For quick info:
Partridge - Jesus
Doves - Old & New Testaments
Hens - Faith, Hope, and Love
Calling Birds - Gospels
Golden Rings - 5 books of old testament
Geese - Days of creation
Swans - gifts of holy spirit
Maids - Beautitudes
Ladies - Fruit
Lords - Commandments
Pipers - Apostles
Drummers - Apostle's Creed
2006-12-23 13:37:39 · answer #5 · answered by Rio 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
No, your not crazy. It is religous. 1 Partridge is 1 God, 2 doves is 2 testaments etc. I learned that in PSR.
2006-12-23 13:36:21 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
to Brand New - thanks for sharing that! I never knew all of that symbolism represented in the song before!
Merry Christmas!
And no- you are not crazy for asking this random question.
I never really liked that tedious song until just now with the hidden meanings!
2006-12-23 13:40:41 · answer #7 · answered by what's up? 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You have too much time on your hands. You need to get out of your house and be with people. Maybe even consider theropy. You have emotions issues beyond your comprehension. Get help while you still can. Get help before you go over the edge and cant turn back.
2006-12-23 13:36:10 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
Yeah they are pretty random. I don't think its a stupid question- i think the fact that theres no reason behind the birds in the song is stupid.
2006-12-23 13:35:27 · answer #9 · answered by skateKad47 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
you just crazy for thinking of this random question
2006-12-23 13:35:47 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋