The Twelve Days of Christmas Decoded

An Underground Catechism ~

You're all familiar with the Christmas song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" I think. To most it's a delightful nonsense rhyme set to music. But it had a quite serious purpose when it was written. It is a good deal more than just a repetitious melody with pretty phrases and a list of unique gifts. 

Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829, when Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England, were prohibited from ANY practice of their faith by law - private OR public. It was a crime to BE a Catholic.  "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written in England as one of the "catechism songs" to help young Catholics learn the tenets of their faith.  It was used as a memory aid, when to be caught with anything "in writing",  indicating adherence to the Catholic faith, could be risking one's very life!  Church history includes many British Catholic martyrs for the faith during this era. 

The song's gifts are hidden meanings to the teachings of the faith. The "true love" mentioned in the song doesn't refer to an earthly suitor, it refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. 

"On the First day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, A Partridge in a Pear Tree"                 The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge which feigns injury (since he rose from the dead) to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, much in memory of the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered thee under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but thou wouldst not have it so."     This opening symbolic reference  bewails the current persecution, and the desire to protect the faithful and tutor the "nestlings" - christian children.

The other symbols mean the following: 

2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments 

3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues 

4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists 

5 Golden Rings = The First Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", 

6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation 

7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments 

8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes 

9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit 

10 Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments 

11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles 

12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed in P.S. below. 

-Paraphrased from -Fr. Hal Stockert 12/17/95 ( his version had to be cleaned up because his report of the persecutions  digressed into boyish delight in describing methods of torture....not really appropriate or inspiring. But no other changes made.) 

P.S. It has come to our attention that this tale is made up of both fact and fiction. But may it be  that this tale give  courage, and determination to use any creative means at one's disposal to keep one's faith alive.    Original resource: Copyright © 1987-2003 Catholic Information Network (CIN) - Updated: 12-26-03 

P.S.  RE: On the twelfth day of Christmas, my True Love gave to me, twelve drummers drumming.

The twelve drummers represent the twelve precepts of the Faith presented in the Apostle's Creed. The translation of the Creed given in the Catechism is given below.

1. I believe in God, the father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
2. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.  
3. Who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary 
4. suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. 
5. He descended into hell.
6. On the third day he rose again from the dead
7. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.  
8. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 
9. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints
10. the forgiveness of sins
11. the resurrection of the body, and 
12. life everlasting. Amen.

The Tablecloth - TrueYule loveStory

THE TABLECLOTH - true winter holiday story

The brand new pastor and his wife,  arrived in early October at Suburban Brooklyn, New York, newly assigned to their first ministry, to re-open a church  that was not in use,  very run down and needing much work.  Undaunted, they set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve 1970. 

They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls,  painting, and more.  It was December 18 and they were ahead of schedule and just about finished.  Then, on December 19,  a terrible tempest - a driving rainstorm - hit the area and lasted for two days.  On the 21st, the pastor's heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 10 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high. The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor.  Prepared to postpone the Christmas Eve service,  he headed home.

On the way, he noticed that a local business was having a flea-market type sale for charity so he stopped in.  One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center.  It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall.   He bought it and headed back to the church.  By this time it had started to snow.  An older woman was running from the opposite direction,trying to catch a bus.  She missed it.  The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus, 45 minutes later.  She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. 

The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area !

Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle.  Her face was very pale.  "Pastor," she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"   The pastor explained.  The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials,  "EBG" were crocheted into it there.  They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria. 

The woman was stunned as the pastor told how he had just gotten the Tablecloth.  The woman explained that before the war, she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria.  When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.  Her husband was going to follow her the next week. She was captured, sent to prison and never saw her husband or her home again!

The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;  but she made the pastor keep it for the church.

To thank her for her beautiful gift,  the pastor insisted on driving her home,  that was the least he could do.  She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a house-cleaning job.  He then hurried back to prepare for the evening's duties. 

What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve!  The church was almost full.  The music and the spirit were great!  At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return.  But one older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood, continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn't leaving.  The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall, because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago, when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike?

He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety, and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a prison.  He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35 years in between. 

The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier.  He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on the door and witnessed the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine! 

A True Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid