Month: December 2023

The Twelve Days of Christmas

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Selina Maycock explains the significance of the 12 Days of Christmas

You’ll probably know the famous Christmas song already, but do you know when the 12 days of Christmas start -or what the tradition is behind the celebration?

Children have lots of questions at Christmas, including how many reindeer does Santa have – and why do we have a Christmas tree? They may also been wondering about the 12 days of Christmas.

The event, otherwise known as Twelvetide, is a Christian religious celebration that’s based around the Nativity of Jesus. Christians believe that the 12 days signify the amount of time that it took the wise men to travel to Bethlehem for the Epiphany after Jesus was born, when recognised him as the son of God. Keep reading to find out when the 12 days of Christmas start and what each of the gifts are…

When does the 12 days of Christmas start?

The 12 days of Christmas begin on Christmas Day, December 25, and last right through until January 6 – also known as Three Kings’ Day or Epiphany. The period has been celebrated since before the Middle Ages but was updated over time to include prominent figures in Christian history.

Most people know the 12 days of Christmas from the song- and the odd Christmas joke – that lists the different gifts. The first printed appearance of the song was in the English children’s book Mirth With-out Mischief, which was published in 1780 – though some of the lyrics were slightly different. Most historians believe the Christmas Carol started as a memory game.

What are the 12 gifts of the 12 days of Christmas?

  1. One partridge in a pear tree
  2. Two turtle doves
  3. Three French hens
  4. Four calling birds
  5. Five gold rings
  6. Six geese a-laying
  7. Seven swans a-swimming
  8. Eight maids a-milking
  9. Nine ladies dancing
  10. Ten lords a-leaping
  11. Eleven pipers piping
  12. Twelve drummers drumming

But how does the song connect to the origin of the 12 days of Christmas and Christianity? Rumour has it that the ’12 days of Christmas’ song was used by worshippers when Christians were being punished for their religion as a way to discreetly pass on the message of Christianity.

The theory is that each of the gifts symbolise a different aspect of the Christian religion with the partridge in the pear tree representing Jesus and the two turtle doves signifying the Old and New Testament. The three French hens are Faith, Hope and Charity, while the four calling birds are the four gospels. The five golden rings are reportedly the first five books of the Old Testament. The six geese represent the six days of creation. The seven swans are the gifts of the Holy Spirit, while the eight maids are the eight blessings given by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. The nine ladies dancing are the nine different fruits of the Holy Spirit – the ten lords represent the Ten Commandments, the eleven pipers represent the eleven faithful apostles and finally…the twelve drummers drumming are the twelve points of the doctrine in the Apostle’s Creed.

(Image credit: Alamy)

According to PNC financial services groups’ annual Christmas Prince Index, to buy all of the gifts in the song would set you back over £36,000. Or if you want to be very specific and work out the total cost of all the gifts when you count each repetition of the song – that’s 364 individual items – it would come to a huge £165,188.18 with the latest dollar to pound conversion rates. The most expensive item would be the seven swans at roughly £11,000.

What do each of the 12 days of Christmas mean?

  • Day One (Christmas Day): Celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.
  • Day Two (Boxing Day or St Stephen’s Day): Remembering the first martyr of Christianity, St Stephen.
  • Day Three: Celebrates St John the Apostle who is the patron saint of love, loyalty, friendships, authors, booksellers, burn victims, poison-victims, art dealers, editors, publishers, scribes, examinations, scholars and theologians. He also wrote the Book of Revelation.
  • Day Four (Feast of the Holy Innocents): The day to remember all the babies killed by King Herod in his attempt to murder baby Jesus.
  • Day Five: Remembers the Archbishop of Canterbury, St Thomas Becket, who was murdered because he challenged the king’s authority over the church.
  • Day Six: Celebrates St Egwin of Worcester who is known as the protector of orphans and the widowed and died in 717.
  • Day Seven (New Year’s Eve): Pope Sylvester I is celebrated on this day as he saw in the beginning of the Christian Roman Empire.
  • Day Eight (New Year’s Day): Celebrates Mary, the mother of Jesus.
  • Day Nine: Honours two important Christians, St Basil the Great and St Gregory Nazianzen from the 4th century.
  • Day Ten (Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus): This day celebrates when Jesus was named in the Jewish Temple.
  • Day Eleven: Celebrates St Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American saint who lived during the 1700s. It also celebrates the Feast of Saint Simeon Stylites, who lived on a small platform on top of a pillar for 37 years to escape unwanted attention.
  • Day Twelve (Epiphany Eve): So called because it’s January 5, the day before Epiphany.

How are the 12 days of Christmas celebrated?

Much like other seasonal traditions, such as giving chocolate eggs at Easter in the UK, the event is celebrated all around the world in many wonderfully different ways.

For example, in Italy on January 6 – one of the most important days of the celebration – markets are set up in cities around the country selling small presents, snacks, fruits and other festive foods.

In Tudor England, when the tradition first started, people would fast for the four weeks leading up to Christmas and then enjoy 12 days of religious celebrations, feasting and entertainment.

The UN Discriminates Against Jewish Children

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Apparently UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund will help any children anywhere, except in Israel.

Reflection on Isaiah 15

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Scripture

In one night the town of Ar will be levelled and the City of Kir will be destroyed.

Observation

Isaiah now prophesies against Moab, which lies to the east of Israel.

Devastation is coming with towns being levelled in one night. People cry out in terror at what is happening.

The rivers are dried up and the grassy banks are scorched. The streams near Dibon run red with blood. The lord will send lions to hunt down the survivors – both those who try to escape and those who remain behind.

Application

Here Isaiah paints a picture of sudden destruction in Moab. Several towns are destroyed overnight.

It is not clear what sort of event is being described – an earthquake together with drought perhaps. Or is there a military invasion being described?

While are modern civilisation protects us from many natural disasters, life is still fragile. In poorer countries, drought turns into famine and then disease.

Even in advanced societies, any of us can be struck down in an instant by the proverbial bus, or unexpected severe illness, or attacks by criminals.

Tonight my life on earth could end. Then I have to stand before God. I am thankful for the knowledge that my sins have been atoned for by Christ and my guilt is taken away.

For those who don’t know Christ, I encourage you to make today the day you give your heart to him.

Prayer

Lord, we link to think that our life on earth is endless, but the fact is that all of us are here for a short time. Thank you for sending Jesus to pay for my sins. Amen.

What Will You Give Jesus This Christmas?

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From Crisis Magazine What Will You Get Jesus for His Birthday?

The thought that Christ wanted me at a time when I was so displeased with myself was sobering, relieving, and enough to inspire a few silent tears

 

 

Two years ago, about two weeks into Advent, I posed a question to my class of high school sophomores: What will you get Jesus for His birthday? We spend so much time thinking about what we will give our loved ones—we are intentional, searching for the thing that will demonstrate how well we know them and their desires. Weeks of shopping aim to deliver a gift that will give them that feeling of Christmas magic. The hunt is epic, the purchase triumphant, and the joy of giving is reward enough. The reason for doing all this is, of course, Jesus’ birth; though I fear we often give Him so little. 

“What do you mean, Ms. Karp? What can I give Jesus?” my students responded. 

We discussed different ways we can make an offering to the Lord: fasting, participating in extra service work, paying attention to areas of prayer we struggle with, being consistent in prayer, getting flowers for the Mary statue, and so on. I explained to them that Jesus’ love language is quality time, so some extra time in prayer is always a good gift. 

The more contemplative students really examined their prayer lives and opted to give Jesus the things they had been holding back in prayer. Others went with more concrete offerings. Despite the reflection being one of my own creation, I had no personal answer. I did not know what I could possibly have to give Jesus that would be good enough.  
The pinnacle of Christmas joy when I was a kid was Christmas 2002, when my sister and I received the ultimate gift. It was the thing we knew our parents would never buy us—something too big, too expensive and extravagant, too perfect…the Barbie Travel Train! I look back on this now with great fondness and treat it as an example of what Christ so often gives to us. He gives us things bigger than we allow ourselves to hope for. He gives us things that satisfy us so intimately. He gives us something perfect. 

That Christmas two years ago, I wanted to give Jesus something that would make him “Travel-Train-happy.” My search for the perfect gift was frequently interrupted. Teaching at a new Catholic high school certainly kept me busy. I was in a new relationship at the time. And I was struggling with my health. 

The fall of 2021 was the height of a long bout of what I referred to at the time as “mystery disease.” After more doctors than I care to count and a strange array of symptoms, I finally got a diagnosis, but only after my condition became severe enough to land me in the hospital. I never expected to have an autoimmune disease at twenty-five, and it certainly rocked my world. All the parts of myself that I loved were slowly slipping through my fingers. My curves melted away to reveal a skeletal frame, my long hair became half as thick, my rambunctious energy was replaced with a quivering frailty, and my spirits were at an all-time low. 

Usually, I would have gone above and beyond in the gift-giving department. I would have harnessed my creativity and strong work ethic to pull off something remarkable. But at that time, I had nothing that could possibly be good enough. I had nothing left to give. 

I remembered the gifts of the Magi, the dedication of the shepherds in their travels, and even the percussion solo of the drummer boy. I had little money left to give after medical bills, I could barely walk across the parking lot without feeling faint, and I was terrible at the drums. The prayers I had to offer were sad, angry, and confused; hardly the Gloria that Christ deserves.

Christmas Eve arrived, and I still had yet to answer for myself the question posed to my students: “What will you get Jesus for His birthday?” As tradition held, I would be singing in the choir with my family at Mass and acting as official page turner for my brother, the pianist. I looked out on the quiet church from the choir loft before Mass began. The strung lights illuminated the altar, and an empty manger sat quietly in front, awaiting the baby Jesus that our priest would process down with once Mass began. I saw that empty manger, and I felt my own emptiness. I wished for something good enough to give. 

In answer to my silent prayer, a wave of peace washed over me, and I knew that the only thing Jesus wanted, the only thing that could make Him “Travel-Train–happy,” was me. Broken spirit, broken body, the humblest of offerings. That’s what He wanted most, if I was only willing to give. 

“But it’s not good enough.” I whispered in the depths of my heart. 

“But it’s all that I want.” I heard in reply. 

The thought that Christ wanted me at a time when I was so displeased with myself was sobering, relieving, and enough to inspire a few silent tears. The ultimate gift is love, a full and free exchange of personhood. Mary lovingly submits her will when the angel Gabriel comes to her. She does not have to say fourteen novenas or fast for a month. She lays her life in God’s hands in loving trust. Christ gives Himself for us in the most intimate and radical way, so of course the thing He wants most is simply us in return. 

I looked again at the manger and accepted that the frail and vulnerable self I had to offer was a perfect fit in that nativity scene. In a moment, I understood that even in my weakness, emotional, spiritual, and physical, I could still be pleasing to the Lord—and not just “pleasing” but, in fact, His most cherished gift. 

Christmas looks very different this year. I am no longer Ms. Karp. I will be in Chicago with my husband, my first Christmas away from home. I am in clinical remission, and I praise God daily for my good health. I feel more like myself, but I still find myself asking, what does Christ desire most this Christmas? 

My inclination to conjure up something grand remains. My energy and ambition have returned. I know in my heart of hearts that His request has not changed, but every year it is hard to believe. Though my imperfections are of a different variety now, they still do not deter Him. I have to remind myself of the many things I have to be thankful for and offer all that I am, all that I have, humbly at His feet. 

Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess You have given me: I surrender it all to You to be disposed of according to Your will. —St. Ignatius of Loyola 

  • Katie Łastowiecka

    Katie Łastowiecka is a classical education advocate, presenter, and instructor specializing in upper level literature and drama. Currently, she is a freelance writer and teaches at Kepler Education. She holds a masters in education and a bachelors in English.

Quote for the Day

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It’s so important to understand that “death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words” (Prov. 18:21). Whatever you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart should be established in the spirit realm. John Ramirez