12 days of Christmas

[kagenohikari]

I wanna share what our beloved parish priest lectured to us during his homily during one of the Simbang Gabi



During the time in England where openly (and, added by our priest, privately too) practicing the Christian faith was banned, the devotees came up with a way to catechize without catching the attention of authorities.

Thus, the song 12 days of Christmas. Each gift represents an important point regarding the practice and belief of the Catholic faith.

The 12 days refer to the liturgical Christmas season, the days from December 25 (Birth of the Lord/Christmas)to January 6 (Epiphany or sometimes called Three Kings). The one referred as True Love is God and we are the recipients of his gifts.

a partridge in a pear tree	Jesus Christ a partridge feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, like how Christ died but later resurrected
2 turtle doves	The New & Old Testaments also, remember that only the dove that Moses sent to look for land returned. The dove is a symbol for bearing good news
2 turtle doves	The New & Old Testaments also, remember that only the dove that Moses sent to look for land returned. The dove is a symbol for bearing good news
3 french hens	Three Theological Virtues Faith, Hope, Charity/Love
4 calling birds	4 Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
5 gold rings	Pentateuch The first 5 books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
6 geese-a-laying	6 days of Creation 6 days because God rested on the 7th day
7 swans-a-swimming	The 7 Sacraments / 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit The 7 sacraments: Baptism, Confession, Eucharist/Communion, Confirmation, Holy Orders (Priesthood, Sisterhood, Single Blessedness), Marriage, Annointing of the Sick / 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit: Prophecy, Ministry, Teaching, Exhortation, Giving, Leading, Compassion
8 maids-a-milking	8 Beatitudes Blessed are: The poor in spirit, Those who mourn, Those who are meek, Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, The merciful, The pure in heart, The peacemaker, Those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake
9 ladies dancing	9 Fruits of the Holy Spirit Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generousity, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control
10 lords-a-leaping	10 Commandments 1) You shall not have any other gods before me 2) Do not make an idol 3) Do not take the name of the Lord in vain 4) Keep holy 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 against thy neighbot 10) Do not covet thy neighbors goods
11 pipers piping	11 Faithful Apostles Judas Iscariot is not included
12 drummers drumming	12 doctrine points in the Apostles Creed 1) I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. 2) I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. 3) He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. 4) He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell [the grave]. 5) On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 6) He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 7) I believe in the Holy Spirit, 8) the holy catholic Church, 9) the communion of saints, 10) the forgiveness of sins, 11) the resurrection of the body, 12) and life everlasting.

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I did a little research and it turn out that this belief became recently popular because of a Catholic priest, Fr. Hal Stockert, in an < a href="http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/christmaslore/a/12_days_of_christmas_meaning_3.htm">article he wrote in 1982 and posted online in 1995. So there's not much evidence whether this origin is true but isn't it pretty coincidental?