Something interesting

[Louise Sugar <dragonfyr@tycho.com>]

Poster: Louise Sugar <dragonfyr@tycho.com>

>
>
>"People often think of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' as the days
>preceeding the festival.  Actually, Christmas is a season of the
>Christian Year that lasts for the twelve days beginning December 25 and
>lasting until January 6 - the Day of Epiphany, when the church
>celebrates the revelation of Christ as the Light of the world and
>recalls the journey of the magi.
>
>"Concerning the popular song 'the Twelve Days of Christmas,' a couple of
>years ago, I learned the story behind the text from an article in the
>newsletter of the Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Montgomery.
>
>"From 1558 until 1829 Roman Catholics in England were not allowed to
>practice their faith openly.  During that era someone wrote 'The Twelve
>Days of Christmas' as a kind of secret catechism that could be sung in
>public without the risk of persecution.  The song has two levels of
>interpretation: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to
>members of the church.  Each element in the carol is a code word for a
>religious reality.
>
>    The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ.
>    The two turtledoves are the Old and New Testaments.
>    Three French hens stand for faith, hope and love.
>    The four calling birds are the four Gospels.
>    The five gold rings recall the Torah (Law) the first five book of the
>        Old Testament.
>    The six geese a-laying stand for the six days of creation.
>    Seven swans a-swimming represent the sevenfold gifts of the Spirit.
>    The eight maids a-milking are the eight beatitudes.
>    Nine ladies dancing? These are the nine fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5).
>    The ten lords a-leaping are the Ten Commandments.
>    Eleven pipers piping stand for the eleven faithful disciples.
>    Twelve drummers drumming symbolize the 12 points of belief in the
>        Apostles' Creed."
>
>


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