why is it called the TWELVE days of christmas, why not any other amount?

Answer 1

Yule lasts for 12 days, from Winter Solstice (Dec 21/22) to Jan 6/7. Christmas was created in the Middle Ages based on Yule festivities.

Answer 2

For the goons that keep thinking that the twelve days of Christmas are before Christmas.

SHUT THE HECK UP!!!

Like all Christian festivals, Christmas is a season, not a day. For instance, Easter, which is the highest of Christian holidays, is 7 weeks long.
The ancient church determined the length of liturgical seasons based upon the importance of the holyday.

This article is a good beginning to understand the liturgical calender.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liturgical_year

Answer 3

The Twelve Days of Christmas as a celebration and festival is old and steeped in traditions from Christian cultures around the world. For many, the idea of the 12 days as a length of celebration is based on a sequence of verses in the Holy Bible (Matthew 2:1-12), and a belief that it may have taken 12 days for the three kings (also called wise men or magi) to travel to Bethlehem.
Sometimes Christmas is reckoned as one of the Twelve Days, sometimes not. In the former case, of course, the Epiphany is the thirteenth day. In England they call the Epiphany Twelfth Day, in Germany it is generally called Thirteenth; in Belgium and Holland it is Thirteenth; in Sweden it varies, but is usually Thirteenth. Sometimes then the Twelve Days are spoken of, sometimes the Thirteen. "The Twelve Nights;" in accordance with the old Teutonic mode of reckoning by nights, is a natural and correct term.

PNC Christmas Price Index - 2006


. 2005 2006 2006/05
One Partridge in a Pear Tree $ 104.99 $ 144.99 38.1%
Partridge $ 15.00 $ 15.00 0.0%
Pear Tree $ 89.99 $ 129.99 44.4%
Two Turtle Doves $ 40.00 $ 40.00 0.0%
Three French Hens $ 45.00 $ 45.00 0.0%
Four Calling Birds $ 399.96 $ 479.96 20.0%
Five Gold Rings $ 325.00 $ 325.00 0.0%
Six Geese-a-Laying $ 300.00 $ 300.00 0.0%
Seven Swans-a-Swimming $ 4,200.00 $ 4,200.00 0.0%
Eight Maids-a-Milking $ 41.20 $ 41.20 0.0%
Nine Ladies Dancing $ 4,576.14 $ 4,759.19 4.0%
Ten Lords-a-Leaping $ 4,039.08 $ 4,160.25 3.0%
Eleven Pipers Piping $ 2,053.20 $ 2,124.00 3.4%
Twelve Drummers Drumming $ 2,224.30 $ 2,301.00 3.4%

Total Christmas Price Index $ 18,348.87 $ 18,920.59 3.1%

True cost of Christmas in song $ 72,608.02 $ 75,122.03 3.5%

"Core" Christmas Price Index* $ 14,148.87 $ 14,720.59 4.0%
(excluding swans)

Answer 4

Because when the song was written, the Christmas season was considered to be only 12 days leading up to Christmas day. There was none of the b.s where Christmas freakin' started after Halloween.

If someone rewrote the song today, it would probably be the 365 days of Christmas. That would be worse than 100 bottles of beer on the wall! :-)

Answer 5

well i dont know but here in my country christmas time starts on December 16 with our dawn mass and it is like a novena, you could even make a wish just as long as you complete the 9 day novena.

Answer 6

Can you imagine how long the song would be if they didn't stop at twelve?! It would be the second song that never ends...