The Twelve Days of Christmas, Essay Example

Many people from different cultures and backgrounds from all over the world celebrate the holiday season in different ways; however, many people of the world celebrate Christmas the same. And with their celebrations, they often sing songs called Christmas carols. One of the most popular carols sung around the Christmas holiday is called “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and it is heard all over the world during the holiday season. Probably most everyone has heard of this popular Christmas carol. And most people probably think of the song as just another clever rhyme to entertain children around the Christmas holiday and some even think of it as a ‘nonsense song’ that is fun to sing like “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall”. This is because it seems like a fairy tale fantasy type of tune that has a lot of quirks and tells a strange story about receiving strange gifts from a loved one at Christmas time. This is basically what the song conveys. However, this particular Christmas carol has a more serious history behind it and a much deeper meaning than just being a fun song to sing and this meaning actually originated in the 16^th century with the song being written by anonymous authors (Dowling, n.d.).

The history surrounding the Christmas carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” states that it was written as a guise to teach children about their religious heritage during the age of Catholic persecution in England from 1558 to 1829. This was a very serious time for Catholics, thereby making the purpose of the song a serious one when written, which means it was not just a nonsensical song to amuse children (Stockert, 1995). It was actually a coded message to believers of the Catholic faith. “The Twelve Days of Christmas” was proposed to have been written by 16^th century English Jesuits as a catechetical device. It is written with symbolism as a means of hiding the true meaning of the song to get by those who were persecuting Catholics during this time (Dowling, n.d.). Catholics were forced to hide the song’s meaning because it was illegal to practice their faith during this time, which is why they were persecuted.

Catholicism in 16th Century England

As it should have been, the church and state in England was basically not divided during this time and everyone in England was subject to mandatory religious loyalty to the church of the state. The trouble between church and politics was in large part the result of Henry VIII declaring himself as the head of the church in England instead of the Pope. He effectively eliminated the Pope and all who worked under him. During this time, Henry VIII made harsh demands that all people swear allegiance to him. When the Chancellor of the Realm, St. Thomas More, refused to support or take the oath because he believed in the authority of the Pope, Henry VII had him beheaded in full view of the public and closed Catholic monasteries and convents, which were also looted and destroyed. His son, Edward VI, then carried this torch and made things even worse than his father did for the people (Dowling, n.d.).

The situation fared a bit better under the reign of Mary Tudor who was succeeded by Elizabeth I, her half-sister, a dedicated Protestant who banned the Catholic faith, so things got bad for the Catholics again. Under the rule of Elizabeth I began the persecution of the Catholics, as priests were exiled from the country and forbidden to perform sacraments or return to the country to minister to the people. Many priests and Catholic clergy were killed. But many still came back to England anyway and risked their lives to minister to the people, and other Catholics, as well, risked their lives and livelihoods to attend Mass, take communion and have the priests baptize their children. During this time, priests were hidden in wealthy families’ homes and in what were called ‘priest holes’ but these places were often raided by the secret police of England. Often, these holes and homes were burned to the ground, killing priests and others under the persecution during this time (Dowling, n.d.).

Elizabeth’s reign is known as the Elizabethan period or Elizabethan England. She was the head and ruler of the church and she was also its supreme governor. She was also a principal member of Parliament who demanded everyone (her subjects), by law, to be present at the church liturgical services every Sunday (twice in one day) and also at holy day. These services were an appendix to the Act of Uniformity of 1559, which was mandated by Parliament (Collinson, 2009). If anyone missed any of the services they were dealt with according because:

Absence from church, and any deviation from the forms and rubrics of that book, were statutory offences and attracted the secular penalties of fine and imprisonment, penalties sharply increased by a further act of parliament in 1581. (Collinson, 2009, p. 75)

Other religious violations, under Elizabeth’s rule, meant that people faced excommunication and social exclusion in the country. Religion during this time was not voluntary or private and people were burned to death for having beliefs contrary to orthodox Christianity and for practicing Catholicism. It was a legal offense. Other punishments besides imprisonment included hangings, beheadings, being drawn and quartered, being disemboweled, being stomped on by the police, and being torn into parts from being tied to and pulled by horses—all for believing in and practicing Catholicism (Stockert, 1995). According to Bridges (2010), the violent separation of the Church of England from communion with Rome in the 16th century had led to the redefinition of English identity in terms of a Protestant nationalism opposed to the nation’s two great enemies, Catholic Spain and France, and to the rebellious colony of Catholic Ireland.” This only added fuel to the fire of the persecution situation that was so widespread at the time.

Catholic Teachings and the Christmas Carol

The Christmas carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” was reportedly written around this time, as the need for secrecy abounded due to the hardship of the persecution. It has been mentioned that the song was written to educate the children about the Catholic faith; however, it was also for the sake of educating any of the faithful Catholics in the way of Catholic doctrines so as not to alert the persecutors to what it meant. The song was written in a way that would make it easy for people to remember facts about the religion and its precepts (Dowling, n.d.).

Aside from the Christmas carol, the actual meaning of the twelve days of Christmas involves a 12-day long celebration around the Christmas season. It begins Christmas Day (December 25) and concludes on the Feast of the Epiphany, twelve days later (January 6) (Dowling, n.d.). The actual twelve days of Christmas are celebrated as follows, according to (Schorn, 2000):

• December 25: Christmas Day celebration.
• December 26: Saint Stephen’s Day. This is a day of handing out alms boxes to the needed, filled with clothes and food. These are gifts that people gathered during the Advent season. Additionally, this is a day set aside for giving to charity and service workers.
• December 27: Saint John’s Day. This is a day to recognize one of the 12 apostles, John and his faith and believing that Jesus rose from his tomb on Easter.
• December 28–30: Holy Innocents’ Days. This is a day to recognize the innocence of children and bless them.
• December 31: Saint Sylvester’s Day. Saint Sylvester was a 4^th century pope who declared all days were holy days. He believed and taught that every day can be a feast if we keep our eyes on eternity. This is a day to forget the negative and do good will toward people.
• January 1–5: New Year’s. This is a day for treasuring our blessings and focus on family. Fill the room with singing and candles.
• January 6: The Epiphany of the Lord: This is a day of appearing, manifesting, and revelation. This is a day to be hospitable, generous, and imaginative. This is a day to recognize Christ in everyone. It ushers in a new year of grace.

This goes to show that Christmas is only the beginning of the twelve days of Christmas and the Christmas carol came about to remind and teach those of the faith in the importance of the religion and the importance of keeping the history of it alive. The actual twelve days of Christmas are from December 26, the day after the celebration day of the birth of Christ, through January 6, the day of Epiphany. The “Twelve Days of Christmas” song is broken down with symbolic meaning as follows, according to (Dowling, n.d.):

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree: This line is actually the day after Christmas, celebrated on December 26. The “my true love” represents God and the mother partridge has the responsibility of luring enemies from the nest to protect the chicks. She puts her life on the line for the chicks. The partridge symbolizes Christ who laid down his life for his sheep. The pear tree is a symbol the cross that he laid his life down on.

Two turtle doves: This represents the Old and New testaments in the Bible. These can also represents Jesus’ two natures, which are human and divine.

Three French hens: The French hens are symbolic of the three gifts that the wise men set before Jesus at the manger, which were gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These were very expensive gifts. The three French hens could also represent the three persons of God in one (Father, Son and the Holy Spirit), or the Trinity.

Four calling birds: These birds represent the four gospels in the Bible of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Five golden rings: These stand for the Torah, which are the first five books of the Old Testament, which are considered the most sacred books of the Bible.

Six geese a-laying: This stands for the six days that God completed creation.

Seven swans a-swimming: The swans are symbols of the seven sacraments.

Eight maids a-milking: This symbolizes the eight beatitudes.

Nine ladies dancing: This represents nine fruits of the Spirit or the nine choirs of angels in the Bible.

Ten lords a-leaping: This stands for the Ten Commandments given to the people by God through Moses.

Eleven pipers piping: These stand for the eleven original apostles who remained faithful to Jesus have Judas betrayed Him.

Twelve drummers drumming: This represents the Apostles’ Creed and the Catholic Church’s twelve basic beliefs.

And thus is the breakdown of the meaning of the Christmas carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” opposition to the Catholic persecution beginning in 16^th century England. However, history records that,

Despite persecution, an English Roman Catholic minority survived, especially in Lancashire, and increasing toleration in the 18th century climaxed in the three Catholic Relief Acts which restored civil rights to Catholics by 1829. The fortunes of the Roman Catholic Church in England were then transformed by a huge influx of pauper Irish immigrants in midcentury, many of them refugees from the great Irish famine of 1846-49, but their experience left them with no liking for the Church of England. The exclusiveness of the Roman Catholic Church was confirmed by a new enthusiasm for papal authority among English Roman Catholics, led by Henry Edward Manning, the formerly Anglican Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, which was sealed by the definition of papal infallibility at the First Vatican Council in 1870. (Bridges, 2010)

In other words, the persecution of the Catholics eventually was overthrown with the eventual decline of Protestant nationalism in England. “Conventional wisdom would have it that ecclesiastical repression provoked organized nonconformity and political agitation for change” (Collinson, 2009).

The Feast of Epiphany

The twelfth day of Christmas is recognized as the Feast of Epiphany. This is celebrated on January 6 and dates back to ancient times. Many cultures celebrate this feast day in their own ways. The Eastern Orthodox churches highlight the day as a shining forth of Jesus at his baptism and they also reveal that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and the second person belonging to the Holy Trinity. Eastern Orthodox tradition calls this feast the Feast of the Theophany, which means “shining forth” in Greek. “Epiphany” is also Greek and means “to reveal.” The Epiphany is also celebratory of revelation events, including Jesus’ baptism, his turning water into wine, which was his first miracle, or Christ’s nativity when the three Wise Men (the Magi) visited him.

This is how the Epiphany became known as the end of the 12 Days of Christmas, even though cultural differences surround the Epiphany. The Epiphany is called “Little Christmas” by the Irish and is known in Spain, Cuba and Latin American countries as El Dia de Reyes, which translates into Three Kings Day. The Italians celebrate this day with La Befana who is an old woman who brings children gifts on the Eve pf Epiphany, Jan. 5, similar to Santa Claus (Balinksi, 2014).

Opposing Views

Although many believe in Christmas and the historical accounts of the meaning behind the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, there are some who have strong opposing viewpoints about the historical accounts of this song. It is admitted that the origin of this song is a bit complicated and involved because of cultural, religious, and calendar differences among various countries. In addition, there have even been cultures such as those of European and Scandinavian origin that have mixed the twelve days of Christmas with festival celebrations for the changing of the year, and some of these celebrations were of pagan origin. This may be one reason why there has been opposition and questioning of the validity and historical accuracy of the origin of the Christmas carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. Critics argue that the availability of substantial evidence to support the claims of the song’s meaning and historical accounts exists, although many religious historians account for the accuracy of the history behind the song. Still, others highlight both logical and historical discrepancies in the story (Bratcher, 2015).

Conclusion

In light of acknowledging any nay-sayer views on the subject of whether or not the historical accounts of the origin and meaning of the Christmas carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is true, perhaps it is prudent to take it all in stride. As is, the breakdown of the song’s lyrics and how they tie in with biblical accounts certainly seems plausible. Even if it is not completely accurate, the meanings still fit. It is probably safe to say that the accounts revealed through this research have accurately depicted what certainly could have well been a true account of a religious culture’s attempt to preserve its belief system through secrecy and symbolism hidden within songs such as this one. And the fact that questions exist should not hold one back from marveling in the creativity of the symbolism in the song. If nothing more than to use it as a tool for acknowledgement and proclamation for those who seek those things in exercising their faith, even in light of a so-called ‘nonsense song’. According to Bratcher (2015),

The view of the song as a secret catechism is most likely legendary or anecdotal. Without corroboration and in the absence of “substantive evidence,” we probably should not take overly rigid positions from either perspective. It is all too easy to turn the song into a crusade for personal opinions. That would do more to violate the spirit of Christmas than the song is worth.  So, for the sake of historical accuracy, we need to acknowledge the likelihood that the song had secular origins…Perhaps, when all is said and done, historical accuracy, as important as that might be on one level, is not really the point.

The point should be for those who choose to celebrate the history and the heritage that this song represents are free to do so. As Bratcher states again, “Now, when they hear what they once thought was only a secular ‘nonsense song,’ they will be reminded in one more way of the grace of God working in transforming ways in their lives and in our world.  After all, is that not the meaning of Christmas anyway?” One would tend to agree. Is that not the truth?

References

Balinksi, C. (2014). Epiphany, celebrated today, is one of Christianity’s oldest feasts. Reading Eagle .

Bratcher, D. (2015). The Twelve Days of Christmas. Retrieved from The Voice: http://www.crivoice.org/cy12days.html

Bridges. (2010, September 16). Bridges built and burnt: Canterbury and Rome Times. The Times.

Collinson, P. (2009, February). The politics of religion and the religion of politics in Elizabethan England. Historical Research, 82(215), pp. 74-92.

Dowling, E. T. (n.d.). The Real Meaning of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. Retrieved from Catholics on the Net: http://www.catholic.net/index.php?option=dedestaca&id=3465#

Schorn, J. (2000, December). Christmas is just the beginning. U.S. Catholic, 65(12), 20.

Stockert, H. (1995, December 17). Catholic Activity: Origin of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Retrieved from Catholic Church: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=540