Here's What You Need to Know About the '12 Days of Christmas' Song Lyrics
Cue the Christmas songs, classic Christmas carols, and and even the fun country Christmas tunes—because the holiday season is here! Our holiday parties will be in dire need of a revamped playlist, so we'll take every genre of festive tunes. While we're on the topic, we're pretty sure that everyone knows of the quintessential carol, "The Twelve Days of Christmas." It's impossible to have gone through life without hearing it at least a few dozen times. 😂
With its iconic lyrics that have been pretty much engraved into our brain since we were able to speak, the song is one that's played and sung at every school holiday function and party. That said, how much do you actually know about the song's lyrics? As a song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is known for its' out of the box, seemingly silly phrases—but there's actually a backstory on how the song came to be. Here's everything you need to know about the Christmas classic and what the lyrics actually mean!
What are the 12 days of Christmas?
In the Christian faith, the 12 days of Christmas are known as the period between the birth of Christ and the three wise men's visit to baby Jesus. It begins on December 25 (Christmas) and ends on January 6 (Three Kings' Day).
Where do the '12 Days of Christmas' lyrics come from?
The lyrics to this song first appeared in the 1780 English children's book Mirth Without Mischief. Some of the words have changed over the years. For example, "four calling birds" was originally "four colly birds" and the "partridge in a pear tree" was originally a "very pretty peacock upon a pear tree."
Historians believe the song actually got its start as a children's "memory-and-forfeit" game in which players would take turns repeating previous verses and adding new ones. If a child forgot a verse, they would have to forfeit a small gift, like a kiss or piece of candy.
Is there a hidden meaning behind the lyrics to 'The 12 Days of Christmas'?
There's a theory that the lyrics to "The Twelve Days of Christmas" contain a hidden message about Christianity. Basically, it's been said that the song was a way for Christians to secretly preach their faith without being punished. According to the theory, this is what each lyric represents:
The partridge in a pear tree = Jesus Christ
2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments
3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues
4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists
5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the “Pentateuch,” which gives the history of man’s fall from grace
6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation
7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments
8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes
9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
10 Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments
11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles
12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle’s Creed
Snopes has debunked this theory, however, noting that if Christians were not free to preach their faith without being persecuted, then singing a song that uses the word "Christmas" in every other line would probably not be the best idea.
How much would the '12 Days of Christmas' cost?
Let's be honest, we've all wondered how much all of these very specific Christmas gifts would amount to if we were to go out and buy them. Thanks to the team over at PNC Bank, we actually have an accurate answer to this! The company's Christmas Price Index garners data annually to figure out what the current market price for each item mentioned is, adding up the total by the quantity listed. So, if we were to add it all together given the 2023 market, all of the items in the "12 Days of Christmas" would amount to a staggering $201,972.66! How's that for Christmas trivia?!
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