The Twelve Days of Christmas is an English Christmas carol also known as Twelvetide. It is a festive Christian season celebrating the Nativity of Jesus. In most Western ecclesiastical traditions, Christmas Day is considered the First Day of Christmas and the Twelve Days are 25 December through 5 January, inclusive.
The Twelve Days of Christmas ia a cumulative song meaning that each verse is built on top of the previous verses. There are twelve verses each describing a gift by "my true love" on one of the twelve days of Christmas. There are many variations in the lyrics. The lyrics given here are from Frederic Austin's 1909 publication that established the current form of the carol. The first three verses run, in full, as follows:
On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me .. a partridge in a pear tree.
On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me .. two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.
On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me .. Three French hens, two turtle doves and a partidge in a pear tree.
Subsequent verses follow the same pattern each adding one new gift and repeating all the earlier gifts so that each verse is one line longer than its predecessor. The meaning of each verse are as follows:
A Partridge in a Pear Tree .. Jesus Christ
Two Turtle Doves .. The Old and New Testaments
Three French Hens .. The three virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity
Four Calling Birds .. Four gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
Five Gold Rings .. First five books of the Old Testament
Six Geese-a-Laying .. Six days of creation before God's rest on the seventh day
Seven Swans-a-Swimming .. Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
Eight Maids-a-Milking .. Eight Beatitudes
Nine Ladies Dancing .. Nine fruits of the Holy Spirit
Ten Lords-a-Leaping .. Ten Commandments
Eleven Pipers Piping .. Eleven faithful disciples
Twelve Drummers Drumming .. Twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed
The Twelve Days of Christmas performed by
Miss Dinah Shore
Pat Locke, Maestro Muse
