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?
Today, I found out:
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 carol has a code word for a
religious reality which the children could remember.
The 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 - wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude,
knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.
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.
So there is your history for today. This knowledge was
shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how
that strange song became a Christmas Carol.
This was interesting.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Rose