A beloved Christmas song, that at times can become a tad annoying, actually has some real spiritual value to it.
Legend has it that persecuted Christians, wishing to secretly teach their children about their faith, wrote this song in England in the 1500’s. The twelve days refer to the twelve days from Christmas to Epiphany(January 6th which represents the day when the wise men, or Magi, arrived to present gifts to the Christ child. Matthew 2:1-12) Twelve basic beliefs or doctrines of the Christian faith were symbolized by gifts from a suitor (Christ) to his “true love” (the Church).
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me….
A partridge in a pear tree = Jesus Christ, the Son of God
Two turtle doves = Old and New Testaments
Three French hens = Faith , hope, and charity
Four calling birds = The four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
Five golden rings = The first five books of the Old Testement (the Torah or Pentateuch): Gensis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy
Six geese a laying = The six days of creation
Seven swans a swimming = The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit as given in Romans 12:6, prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading and mercy.
Eight maids a milking = The eight beatitudes given by Jesus in Matthew 5:3-10
3 “ Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Nine ladies dancing = the Fruits of the Spirit given in Galatians 5:22-23, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Ten lords a leaping = The Ten Commandments given in Exodus 20:1-17
1 And God spoke all these words, saying:
2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
8 “ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
12 “ Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
Eleven pipers piping = The eleven faithful apostles
Twelve drummers drumming = The twelve points of the apostle’s creed:
This creed is called the Apostles’ Creed not because it was produced by the apostles themselves but because it contains a brief summary of their teachings.
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit,
one holy church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
So, there you have it. I am planning to start doing some lessons with the kiddos, one on each of the twelve days and what they stand for, beginning on the 8th probably. Some people choose to work through it from the 25th of December until the 9th of January. But, by January 1st, I am pretty much over Christmas :) So we are going to work through it early. Maybe I will post my lesson ideas (if I have time). I know that www.currclick.com has a Twelve Days of Christmas lap book, but I’m not sure if I want to purchase it or not. If I do, I will let you all know how it is!
Have a blessed day!