Lucky me, I consider most Snack for Later readers to be, on the whole, intelligent people who know that the 12 Days of Christmas are, in fact, the 12 days between Christmas and today, Epiphany.
What you may not know, however, are the true meanings behind each of the verses of the song itself. And since one of the main mantras here at Snack for Later is that we learn something new everyday, we thought it would be appropriate to share what we learned recently. Check it out:
- A Partridge in a Pear Tree: This is Christ! Mother partridges are known to feign injury to distract predators from young, much like Christ sacrificed himself for all sinners, throughout time.
- Two Turtle Doves: The witness of both the Old and New Testaments
- Three French Hens: The three theological virtues of faith, hope and love
- Four Calling Birds: One for each of the 4 Gospels
- Five Golden Rings: The first five books of the Old Testament, known otherwise as the Torah or Pentateuch.
- Six Geese A-Laying: The six days of Creation
- Seven Swans A-Swimming: The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Don't remember them? Romans 12:6-8!
- Eight Maids A-Milking: The Beattitudes (Matthew 5:3-10)
- Nine Ladies Dancing: The nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:22)
- Ten Lords A-Leaping: The Ten Commandments
- Eleven Pipers Piping: Eleven faithful Apostles
- Twelve Drummers Drumming: Before reading this one, I was sure it was going to be the twelve tribes of Israel. WRONG! It's actually the twelve points of believe in the Apostles' Creed. Pretty cool.
So there you have it, friends!
Keep It Real and Happy Epiphany!
