Some families choose to mark the day period by observing the feast days of various saints including St. Stephen on December 26 and planning daily Christmas-related activities, but for many, things go back to business as usual after December Each verse builds on the previous one, serving as a really effective way to annoy family members on road trips.
The history of the carol is somewhat murky. Many variations of the lyrics have existed at different points. And some people theorize that the five gold rings actually refer to the markings of a ring-necked pheasant, which would align with the bird motif of the early verses. Under that theory, the various gifts break down as follows, as the myth-debunking website Snopes explained:.
This theory seems tailor-made for circulation via chain emails, but it actually makes little sense once you examine it. Snopes has a great explanation of the many, many holes in its logic. The late historian William Studwell, known for his Christmas carol expertise, also refuted the coded message idea. As he told the Religion News Service in This was not originally a Catholic song, no matter what you hear on the Internet. If there was such a catechism device, a secret code, it was derived from the original secular song.
No matter the cost, though, actually giving someone all this stuff is probably not a great idea; just think of all the bird poo. She calculated the calories in a serving of each bird mentioned in the song and offset them with the calories burned by the various activities milking, leaping, etc.
On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree. On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Ten lords a-leaping, Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Eleven pipers piping, Ten lords a-leaping, Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree. On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Twelve drummers drumming, Eleven pipers piping, Ten lords a-leaping, Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree!
The Twelve Days of Christmas. Christmas Carols Index. Christmas Poems. Christmas Jokes. See our page about Christmas Traditions and Vocabulary.
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