From the Current Issue #17. Please indulge me, in that this matter has no 
connection with Italian American or Italian, but I wanted to share this with 
you particularly because I've seen at least four different News Teams, who 
were in a near state of apoplexy, trying to make sense out of the words of 
"The Twelve Days of Christmas". Here we have the answer!
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THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS 

Thanks to Dominic Tassone for sharing this with us. 

This 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?

>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.
 -  The two turtledoves were the Old and New Testaments
 -  The 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 and the first five books
        of the Old Testament.
 -  The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
 -  The 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.
 -  The 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.

I found it so interesting and enlightening to now know how that strange 
Christmas Carol came into being.

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