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I love Jesus. I love my family. I love photography. I love books. I love thinking. Probably in that order. I have a wonderful husband, five beautiful daughters, a house, and a camera. I enjoy spending time talking to my husband, playing with my girls, redecorating my house and shooting things with my camera. In my spare time, I sleep.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

A Partridge in a Pear Tree (or Jesus Christ?)

I came across this little history behind the song "The 12 days of Christmas" on Mercola.com and thought is was interesting.
"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 that the children could remember.
  1. The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ
  2. Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments
  3. Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love
  4. The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
  5. The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament
  6. The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation
  7. Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit
    1. Prophesy
    2. Serving
    3. Teaching
    4. Exhortation
    5. Contribution
    6. Leadership
    7. Mercy
  8. The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes
  9. Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit
    1. Love
    2. Joy
    3. Peace
    4. Patience
    5. Kindness
    6. Goodness
    7. Faithfulness
    8. Gentleness
    9. Self Control
  10. The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments
  11. The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples
  12. The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed
So there's your history lesson for today."
(Taken from Dr. Mercola's Special Holiday Bonus.)

1 comment:

sixbehrs said...

I had my kids at church do a musical a few years ago, titled "The 12 Days of Christmas," and that's exactly what it was about...what you found on that website is what was represented in the musical. Intersting, huh?! I never think of that song the same way anymore!