The Twelve days of Christmas
Dec. 4th, 2009 12:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tamsyam"The Twelve days of Christmas" is an English Christmas Carol, based on Christian tradition of celebrating each one of the twelve days between evening of Christmas Day (December, 25) to morning of Epiphany (January,6).
Tradition goes back as far as to 4th century Christian church, but the celebration really became popular in the Middle ages.
The song is a cumulative song, which means that each verse is build on top of the previous ones - the type of song, that was very popular during 1700s.
The date when this song was written and performed for the first time is not known, but the children's rhyme "Twelve days of Christmas" was first published in a book "Mirth without mischief" in London in 1780.
The rhyme was a memory and a forfeit game: the players got in a circle and each took a turn in saying a first line of the rhyme, then when it was his turn again around - saying the second line and everybody continued same way..
Several lines have changed over the years - "calling birds" were originally "colly birds" (black birds) and the "five golden rings" did not refer to jewelry, but to ring necked pheasants.
There is a well-known legend, that the song has hidden meaning, for example the True Love is God Himself, the partridge and a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the two turtle doves are the Old and New Testaments etc.. The legend claims, that at particular period of time, when Catholics (or other Christians) weren't allowed to practice their faith and this was a way to pass down the tenets of Catholicism (or Christianity) to their children.
Each year since 1984 PNC Christmas Price Index, sponsored by PNC Financial services calculates the total cost of all goods as mentioned in the song (for example for 2007 the total price was $19,502.19).
Of all the Christmas songs "The Twelve days of Christmas" probably is the most parodied of them all. You can find all sorts of topics and themes - from "Shrek"-cartoon variation to the Indian Bollywood theme.
This one is in a very goot taste and one of my favorites - making fun of the of caroling season, when at some point it may come together in your mind in a weird mix-all-in-one way and, by the way, these guys sing pretty well too. I'm sure you'll enjoy their performance as much as I did.
On the first day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
A partridge in a pear tree.
On the second day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the third day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the fourth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the fifth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the sixth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
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 seventh day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
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 eighth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
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 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.
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!
