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?
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 carolhas a code word for a religious reality
which the children could remember.
"It is always interesting to see how these songs came to be" - damnpamnThe 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.
Comments
cjb321
They
go from Christmas Day to January 6th. The 6th is known as the Epiphany
of Jesus. Too many people think that it is the 12 days before. Not
true!!
THIS IS A REPOST FROM A THOUGHTS.COM BLOG. I DO NOT KNOW THE SOURCE.
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