Twelve Days of Christmas

Why are there twelve days of Christmas? Even the holiest of births could not have taken twelve day. No. Of course not. The twelve days of Christmas is the stretch of time between December 25 and January 6. December 25 marks the birth of Jesus Christ while January 6 represents the feast of the Epiphany that memorializes the visit of the Magi to Baby Jesus in Bethlehem.

Before I continue, permit me to take a moment to define two very important words that are often associated with Christmas: epiphany and Magi.

Epiphany is defined in modern dictionaries as “an intuitive grasp of reality usually through something simple and striking, an illuminating discovery, a revealing scene of moment." In Christianity or the Christian church, epiphany is traditionally described as "the first manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles."

The Magi were the biblical three kings who came to see the newborn King or the first non-Jews that recognized that the child born in Bethlehem was in fact the Savior of the world.

The tradition of celebrating the twelve days of Christmas dates back to medieval times. It had originally started on the eve of Christmas on December 24 and ended on the eve of Epiphany on January 5. Yule logs were kept lit for the entire twelve days otherwise it was a sign of bad luck and misfortune. The twelve nights of Christmas were celebrated with masks and costumes in the 18th century or the reversal of roles between men and women. Such twelve days festivities included eating cake where a bean or a pea was planted. Whoever found the bean or pea in their portion was crowned as the king or queen of that day. This tradition somehow later evolved into a group game called “charades” which was played the entire night of the twelfth day of Christmas.

We are all familiar with the popular Christmas carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” but how many of us really understand its social and theological meanings? Sadly, no one celebrates the twelve days of Christmas anymore and not even the twelfth day. The religious implications of the twelve days of Christmas are to be found in the story of the three wise men that arrived from the east carrying gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to bestow upon the newborn Savior. The Magi were sent by King Herod to bring back information about the newborn child who may threaten his rule but instead of carrying back the information after their twelve day journey, they bowed to Him in recognition of His sovereignty.

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” was written in England in the 16th century as a catechism to teach children the basics of their Catholicism with many hidden meanings behinds its rhyming lyrics. With the original meanings having been lost, the modern day interpretations come in several versions and with a measure of controversy.

The following are the most commonly accepted interpretations:

* “On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me: a partridge in a pear tree.”
o “true love” refers to God Himself.
o “me” refers to every baptized person who accepts Jesus.
o “A partridge I a pear tree” is Jesus Christ on the cross.

* “On the second day …: two turtle doves, …”
o “two turtle doves” refers to the Old and New Testament.

* “On the third day …: three French hens, …”
o “three French hens” stands for faith, hope and love.

* “On the fourth day …: four calling birds, …”
o “four calling birds” commemorates the four evangelists who wrote the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

* “On the fifth day …: five golden rings, …”
o “five golden rings” represents the first five books of the Old Testament or the Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

* “On the sixth day …: six geese a flying, …”
o “six geese a flying” speak about the six days of creation.

* “On the seventh day …: seven swans a swimming, …”
o “seven swans a swimming” represents the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.

* “On the eighth day …: eight maids a milking, …”
o “eight maids a milking” retell of the eight beatitudes listed in the Sermon on the Mount.

* “On the ninth day …: nine ladies dancing, …”
o “nine ladies dancing” are the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

* “On the tenth day …: ten lords a leaping, …”
o “ten lords a leaping” stands for the Ten Commandments.

* “On the eleventh day …: eleven pipers piping, …”
o “eleven pipers piping” are the eleven faithful apostles.

* “On the twelfth day …: twelve drummers drumming, …”
o “twelve drummers drumming” represents the twelve points of belief as expressed in the Apostles’ Creed: believe in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, made man, crucified, died and arose on the third day, that he sits at the right hand of the Father and will come again, the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.