TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

During the period, 1558 to 1829, Catholics were persecuted in England. They were prohibited by law from practicing publicly or privately their faith. It was a crime to be a Catholic. Anything in writing or adherence to the Catholic faith could mean imprisonment or death by either hanging or beheading.
The Catholics, secretly, found a way of propagating their faith by means of songs. The “TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS” was written discreetly as one of the Catechism songs, as a memory aid, to help young Catholics learn the doctrine of their faith. The song had hidden meaning not known by the authorities

On the first day of Christmas - a Partridge in a pear tree
On the second day of Christmas - two turtle doves
On the third day of Christmas - three French hens
On the fourth day of Christmas - four calling birds
On the fifth day of Christmas - five gold rings
On the sixth day of Christmas -six geese a-laying
On the ninth day of Christmas - nine ladies dancing
On the tenth day of Christmas - ten lords
On the eleventh day of Christmas - eleven pipers piping
On the twelfth day of Christmas - twelve drummers drumming.

THE SYMBOLS AND THEIR MEANING
1st Day of Christmas
God, my true love, sent to me
Jesus Christ as a Partridge bird pretending to be dead to protect her chicks
2nd day of Christmas
The Old and New Testaments
The two Books in the Bible
3rd Day of Christmas
The three Virtues
Faith,
Hope,
Love
4th Day of Christmas
The Gospel Writers and Evangelists
Mark,
Matthew,
Luke,
John
5th Day of Christmas
The First 5 Books of the Bible (Pentateuch = Jewish Torah)
Genesis,
Exodus,
Leviticus,
Numbers,
Deuteronomy
6th Day of Christmas
The 6 days of Creation (God rested on the 7th day)
1) God created light from darkness (day and night)


8th Day of Christmas
The 8 Beatitudes
Blessed are:
1)The poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
2) They who mourn, for they will be comforted
3) The meek, for they will inherit the land
4) They who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied
5) The merciful, for they will be shown mercy
6) The clean of hearts, for they will see God
7) The peacemakers, for they will be called children of God
8) They who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
9th Day of Christmas
The 9 Fruits of the Holy Spirit
Love,
Joy,
Peace,
Patience,
Kindness,
Generosity,
Faithfulness,
Gentleness,
Self-control
10th Day of Christmas
The 10 Commandments
11th Day of Christmas
The 11 Faithful Apostles
12th Day of Christmas
The 12 points of belief in the Catholic Apostles’ Creed