Christmas Carols
By
*Gypsy Joy*
A bit of religious thoughts may come to mind to many on a Sunday…
In the Fall of 2012 I learned that
from 1558 until 1829,
Roman Catholics in England
were not permitted to practice their faith openly.
One suggestion is that someone wrote the carol as a religious code.
It could also have been to speed up the learning of the Catechism, or indeed
it was not permitted to practice the Roman Catholic faith openly.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_wars_of_religion
The country of origin and the year of the original carol may differ as well.
E.g. the first carol could have been written around 1714 by
someone from the North of England, around the Newcastle area.
Or, the original carol could be from Northern France.
What is known is,
that in 1835 the song was popular in England as a schoolboys Christmas chant.
In some Roman Catholic circles the song is explained as:
The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law,
the first five books of the Old Testament.
The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit:
Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation,Contribution,Leadership and Mercy.
The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit:
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness,
Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control.
The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.
The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
The twelve drummers drumming symbolized
the twelve points of belief in the Apostles’ Creed.
Which way we look at it during Christmastide,
the Partridge Song is bound to bring a lot of smiles.
Wiki has a lot of Partridge info:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Days_of_Christmas_(song)
With thanks to the maker and the choir
Enjoy:
