there is one christmas carol that has always baffled me. |
what in the world do leaping lords, french hens |
swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out |
of the pear tree have to do with christmas today, i found out. |
from 1558 until 1829, roman catholics in england were |
not permitted to practice their faith openly. someone |
during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young catholics. |
it has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember. |
-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. |
so there is your history for today. this knowledge was shared with me and i found it interesting and enlightening and now i know how that strange song became a christmas carol |