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The holiday season often feels like it begins earlier each year, but the true Christmas season, according to Christian tradition, doesn’t actually start until December 25th. That’s right – December 25th marks the beginning of the 12 days of Christmas, a period steeped in religious significance and immortalized by the relentlessly catchy carol of the same name. But how much do we really know about this enduring tradition and the song that accompanies it?
What Are the 12 Days of Christmas?
The 12 days of Christmas represent the span between the birth of Christ and the arrival of the Magi, the three wise men, in Christian theology. Beginning on Christmas Day, the celebration continues through January 6th, also known as the Epiphany or Three Kings’ Day. The four weeks preceding Christmas are collectively known as Advent, a period of preparation that concludes on December 24th.
While some families choose to observe the 12-day period with religious observances, such as celebrating the feast days of saints like St. Stephen on December 26th, or engaging in daily Christmas-themed activities, for many, life returns to normal after the initial festivities.
A Carol with a Colorful Past
“The 12 Days of Christmas” is, of course, also a beloved Christmas carol, recounting the increasingly extravagant gifts received by a singer from their “true love” over the 12 days. Each verse builds upon the last, creating a cumulative effect that’s as memorable as it is…potentially irritating on long car rides.
The lyrics haven’t remained static over time. The version most are familiar with begins:
On the first day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
a partridge in a pear tree.
The song then adds a gift for each successive day, culminating in the recitation of all 12 gifts: four calling birds, six geese a-laying, seven swans a-swimming, eight maids a-milking, nine ladies dancing, ten lords a-leaping, eleven pipers piping, and twelve drummers drumming.
The carol’s origins are somewhat obscure. The earliest known version appeared in a 1780 children’s book titled Mirth With-out Mischief. Remarkably, a first edition of this book sold for $23,750 at a Sotheby’s auction in 2014, though a digital copy is also available on Amazon. Some historians speculate a French origin, but the prevailing theory suggests the song was initially designed as a “memory and forfeits” game. In this game, participants tested their recall of the lyrics, with errors resulting in a “forfeit” – often a kiss or a small favor.
Variations in the lyrics have existed throughout the years. Some versions include “bears a-baiting” or “ships a-sailing,” while others name the singer’s mother as the gift-giver. Early iterations listed four “colly” birds, an archaic term for blackbirds, and some theorize the “five gold rings” actually refer to the markings on a ring-necked pheasant, aligning with the song’s avian theme.
The melody and lyrics as we largely know them today were solidified by English composer Frederic Austin in 1909, who also added the drawn-out cadence to “five gold rings.”
Debunking the Coded Message Myth
A persistent internet theory claims the lyrics to “The 12 Days of Christmas” are a coded primer on Christianity, used by believers to secretly share their faith during times of persecution. The proposed breakdown is as follows:
- 2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments
- 3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity
- 4 Calling Birds = The Four Gospels
- 5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament
- 6 Geese A-laying = The six days of creation
- 7 Swans A-swimming = The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
- 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 11 faithful apostles
- 12 Drummers Drumming = The 12 points of doctrine in the Apostle’s Creed
- The partridge in a pear tree = Jesus Christ
However, this theory falls apart under scrutiny. As the myth-debunking website Snopes points out, the gifts bear little to no logical connection to their supposed Christian equivalents, rendering the song useless as a mnemonic device for religious tenets. Furthermore, if Christians faced such severe persecution that they needed to conceal their beliefs in song, it’s unlikely they would be openly celebrating Christmas at all.
The late historian William Studwell, an expert on Christmas carols, similarly dismissed the coded message idea, stating in 2008, “This was not originally a Catholic song, no matter what you hear on the Internet…If there was such a catechism device, a secret code, it was derived from the original secular song. It’s a derivative, not the source.”
The Rising Cost of Christmas Gifts
Calculating the cost of all the gifts mentioned in “The 12 Days of Christmas” has become an annual tradition for the PNC financial services group, beginning in 1984. Their Christmas Price Index, based on current market rates, reveals a significant increase in the financial burden of this festive song.
In 2022, the total cost reached a staggering $45,523.27, a 10.5 percent increase from 2021. If each repetition of a gift is counted (totaling 364 gifts), the price jumps to $197,071.09 – a 9.8 percent increase year-over-year.
Inflation is a key driver of these rising costs, particularly for items like gold (five rings, now costing $1,245, a 39 percent increase) and fertilizer (impacting the price of the partridge in a pear tree, now $280.18, up nearly 26 percent). Interestingly, the rate for eight maids a-milking remains relatively stable at $58, as the federal minimum wage hasn’t increased since 2009.
Despite the escalating price tag, the idea of actually giving all these gifts remains impractical – and potentially messy, considering the inevitable bird droppings.
Parodies and Variations on a Theme
The structure of “The 12 Days of Christmas” lends itself readily to parody. Numerous versions exist, including a redneck rendition by Jeff Foxworthy, a heavy metal take by Twisted Sister, and a memorable performance by the Muppets featuring John Denver. Others have reimagined the song through the lens of food, or even attempted a “12 Days of Christmas diet,” calculating the caloric impact of each bird and offsetting it with the energy expended during the associated activities.
Ultimately, whether you view it as a religious tradition, a historical curiosity, or simply a fun holiday tune, “The 12 Days of Christmas” continues to resonate with audiences year after year. And while the cost of the gifts may be astronomical, the joy of singing along – even if it takes 300 repetitions to burn off the calories – remains priceless.
