Last Friday, in “The Twelve Days of Christmas, Part 2”, we saw that the tradition 12 day celebration of Christmas, stretching from December 25 to the eve of the Epiphany, provides us with many tips on how to keep Christ in Christmas!

Early sources actually give a Christian version of the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”!

In the early days when Christians were persecuted for their faith, the core teachings that were felt to be very important were “hidden” in a Children’s rhyme. There is controversy as to whether this is true or not, but most scholars of the Catholic Church see it as a very important surviving example of a time when that churches used codes to disguise their teachings. 

Day 1: The partridge in a pear tree represents Jesus, the Son of God, whose birthday we celebrate on the first day of Christmas. Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge, the only bird that will die to protect its young.

Day 2: These twin birds represent the Old and New Testaments. In this gift, the singer finds the complete story of the Judeo-Christian faith and God’s plan for the world, and the doves are the biblical roadmap that is available to everyone.

Day 3: The three French hens represent faith, hope and love, making us remember 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter written by the apostle Paul.

Day 4: The four calling birds are the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Day 5: The five gold rings represents the first five books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah, or books of the law.

Day 6: The six geese who are laying eggs take our thoughts back to the first story in the Bible. Each egg represents a day of creation, when the world was “hatched” or formed by God. 

Day 7: The seven swimming swans represent the seven core giftings of the Holy Spirit: prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading and compassion. Since swans are the most graceful creatures on earth, they are a perfect symbol for spiritual giftings.

Day 8: The eight milking maids make us think of humble servants. Being a milkmaid was about the worst job one could have during this period of England’s history. Thus this conveys that Jesus cares as much about servants as He does about royal blood. These eight humble servants who are blessed represent the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for their faith: The beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount!

Day 9: The nine dancers are the gifts known as the Fruit of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Day 10: The ten leaping lords are judges in charge of the law. This coded portion of the song is thought to represent the ten commandments.

Day 11: The eleven pipers piping represent the 11 faithful disciples, diligent in their proclamation of the gospel, leaving us an important example.

Day 12: The two drummers represent the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles Creed:
– I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
– I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
– He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
– He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
– He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again.
– He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
– He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
– I believe in the Holy Spirit,
– I believe in the church,
– I believe in the the communion of saints,
– I believe in the forgiveness of sins,
– I believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.

So, just a silly song? On the surface maybe, but in reality, a refreshing reminder of the essential elements of Christian faith. The twelve days of Christmas may no longer be a widely recognized holiday tradition, but the days were an important bridge that connected persecuted believers of the past with the whole story of God’s plan!

I would like to suggest a little exercise: Let’s celebrate the 12 days of Christmas! Let’s spend some time on each day between Christmas 25 and January 5 meditating on these essential elements of our faith! And in doing so, let’s remember that the gifts were accumulative. So on December 26, when you spend some time contemplating the precious gift of God’s Word, also spend some time reflecting on Jesus’ death and resurrection! And on day three, while you are reflecting on the Biblical version of love, also meditate on the gift of God’s Word and the most dynamic gift of the cross, and so on. I would suggest that this little exercise will help you to begin the new year firmly grounded in your faith!

Remember: “Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.” (1 Peter 1:13 NIV)

Inspired by Rob Chaffart
Founder, Answers2Prayer Ministries

(To access the entire, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” devotional series, please click here!)