" Twelve (12) Days of Christmas” The Rest of the Story

 “The Twelve Days of Christmas” The Rest of the Story

Driving back from our church yesterday night after preparing the bags of food for our Food Pantry, “Father’s Closet Ministry”, I told my husband that we needed to stop at the gas station because we would run out of gas soon. And, since we live at the suburbs of the Metro area it was better to stop sooner than later. So we did. What a surprise after putting in some gas, that the van was dead. A terminal of the battery was broken. My husband went to the auto part store since it was only a few yards from where we were.  Because he had no tools, he had to walk across to another supermarket to find them. Just to be able to replace the terminal and get the van to run again. It was late and cold, and the coffee at the gas station… I will try to say it in the very best way- It wasn’t the coffee from Amanda or Bernando, a family friend of us from Colombia, who lives in Memphis  and it was not Juan Valdez either from  my friend Rubiela who lives in Pereira, the coffee area in  Colombia South America.

My daughters had a wonderful idea to sing Christian Christmas songs. So we took turns to be the leader of the song, and the rest needed to follow her.

When I was singing the “12 days of Christmas”, they all said that I lost the game. That one wasn't a Christian song. They called it a ‘silly song’. So let me tell you what I shared with them. ‘The rest of the Story’ of the song 

In England in the 16th century, one of her first moves as Queen Elizabeth 1 (1533 1603)  was launched The English Protestant Church. The English who stayed faithful to Roman Catholicism found themselves on the wrong side of the law. They were prohibited by royal authority to instruct the catechism to their children. So, they camouflaged their practice in metaphors and put them in a melody. "The 12 Days of Christmas" is one of those resultant songs. The carol exposes fact about Christ's life and His message.

It was first published in England in 1780, but may be French in origin. The twelve days in the song are the twelve days starting on Christmas Day. Opposite the popular idea, these are not the twelve days preceding Christmas.  These are the twelve days from Christmas until the beginning of Epiphany  (January 6th; the twelve days count from December 25th until January 5^th) and is a cumulative song, meaning that each verse is built on top of the previous verses..

The first verse runs:

On the first day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
A partridge in a pear tree. 

The "true love" represents God and the "me” represents us, all the Christians

⁸ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8)

 

Partridges are medium-sized birds, intermediate between the larger pheasants and the smaller quails. Partridges are native to Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Partridges are ground-nesting seed-eaters; an ancient Christian symbol of Christ. Some interpretation sees Jesus symbolically presented as a mother partridge that feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, recalling the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered you under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but you would not have it so . . . ." (Luke 13:34).  For others the partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ who died on a tree as a gift from God.

On the second day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

The dove is a member of the bird family, especially the well-known verse from the Song of Songs. Its mournful voice, and the fact that it forms strong pair bonds, Turtle Doves have become symbols of faithful love. In the New Testament, two turtle doves are mentioned to have been sacrificed for the Birth of Jesus. (Luke 2:24) The two turtledoves signify the sacrifice offered in the temple by Joseph and Mary at the presentation of the Christ-child in the temple. Some say that these two are actually the two Old and New testaments   

 

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. 

 

For the three French hens, the breed was developed in the 1860s in north-central France. They were priceless poultry in Elizabethan England; represent the three valuable gifts of the Magi. Or according with I Corinthians 13: 13  Faith, Hope and Love

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. 

 

The male calling bird's song is a varied and melodious low-pitched fluted song, given from trees, in the period from March to June, sometimes into the beginning of July. The four 'calling birds' are the Gospel writers that call us to Jesus. (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John)

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. 

 Ring-necked Pheasants in particular were commonly bred and were introduced to many parts of the world for the game farm supply. It can be considered semi-domesticated. (The Ring-necked Pheasant is the state bird of South Dakota, one of only three US state birds that is not a species native to the United States.) The five 'golden rings’ birds represent the Torah, or Pentateuch:  1) Genesis, 2) Exodus, 3) Leviticus, 4) Numbers, and 5) Deuteronomy, and they are the first five books of the Bible also called the "Books of Moses".

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. 

The six 'geese a-laying' represent the six days of creation.

1: The heavens, the earth, light and darkness. 2: Heaven 3: Dry land, the seas, and vegetation. 4: The sun, the moon and the stars. 5: Living creatures in the water, birds in the air. 6: Land animals and people.  Remember the Day 7: God "rested".

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. 

 

The seven 'swans a-swimming' are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. (Corinthians 12:9-11, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, 1 Peter 4:10-11)

The seven spiritual gifts given to Christians by the Holy Spirit are: wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord. Isaiah 11:2-3 speaks of the Spirit and the promised gifts that will be given to the one who will “come forth from the stump of Jesse." There are the six gifts listed in the Hebrew Scriptures. But the Greek translation, the Septuagint, duplicates "fear of the Lord" with the translation, "faithfulness," thus bringing the list of qualities to seven.

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. 

 

The eight 'maids a-milking' are the Beatitudes, which nourish our spirituality. 1) Blessed are the poor in spirit, 2) those who mourn, 3) the meek, 4) those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 5) the merciful, 6) the pure in heart, 7) the peacemakers, 8) those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. (Matthew 5:3-10) 

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. 

 

The nine 'ladies dancing' refer to the nine choirs of angels. Angels,
Archangels, Principalities, Powers, Virtues, Dominations, Thrones
Cherubim and Seraphim

Again, some say that these represent the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23) Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Kindness Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control.

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.

 

The ten 'lords a-leaping' are the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 20). The ten commandments: 1) You shall have no other gods before me; 2) Do not make an idol; 3) Do not take God's name in vain; 4) Remember the Sabbath Day; 5) Honor your father and mother; 6) Do not murder; 7) Do not commit adultery; 8) Do not steal; 9) Do not bear false witness; 10) Do not covet. (Exodus 20:1-17)

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. 

 

The eleven 'pipers piping' signify the 11 original and loyal Apostles, who proclaimed the resurrection. 1) Simon Peter  2) Andrew  3) James  4) John   5) Philip  6) Bartholomew  7) Matthew  8) Thomas  9) James  Bar Alphaeus 10) Simon the Zealot  y 11) Judas bar James. (Luke 6:14-16).  The list does not include the twelfth disciple, Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus to the religious leaders and the Romans.

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 'drummers drumming' are the twelve beliefs enshrined in the Apostles' Creed.

I hope that this song is going to be used as a testimony, because it shows us that 

in the most unfavorable situation, we can still use our struggles to Testify God’s Grace and Salvation through Jesus Christ. Many times we take for granted that we can speak freely about Him. There are still many countries that are in the dark and many missionaries that are persecuted- just for carrying a bible.

Secondly, that we don’t need to be fast to judge persons or situations, we always need to find the rest of the story. I know that right: I have a child with Special needs.

The rest of the story of my family? Well, when we arrived back, home was warm, soup was ready and we thank the Lord because of that, yesterday we did not take those blessings for granted.

Maria P