Advent Calendar:The 1st of The Twelve Days of Christmas!

Today is not only the first of the twelve days of Christmas but it is also my Birthday and in some parts of the world Boxing Day...I've gone on about my birthday already on my Meady's Musings blog and you can check that blog on on this link.

However today on Universal Collective Prayer I want to talk about The Twelve Days of Christmas and what it means...

A couple years ago I like many people perhaps thought...The Twelve Days of Christmas was actually the twelve days before Christmas itself. I often tried to count back to see on what date then did it begin and often even wondered if anyone had really tried in reality to give all those gifts to their true love on each of the twelves days! This is a weird and wacky world and I'm sure someone for all you know must have really done it by now! :) Perhaps a rich Sheik trying to impress his fourth wife! :) No offense in Universal Collective Prayer intended...

But I now appreciate it is the twelve days after Christmas and so today is the First Day of Christmas! And although I so wish my 'True Love' would first indeed come to me and if not bring me a Partridge in a Pear Tree...simply bring his true love and with me be...goodness knows how he'd pull that off in the Tropics anyway and how does one bring a tree? I mean wouldn't it have to be uprooted well and how then do you keep the partridge in there? Well someone who would do that would perhaps be no true love to me! I mean who so cruel could be able to give true love? But seriously I know it is just a fun counting song and if you read my Meady's Musings installation for today you will see how obsessed I think we as a society are with the numbers!

So I'm now learning that this twelve days of Christmas business really starts off today and ends on the Epiphany, the day of the Kings which is especially celebrated in Spain and Spanish influenced cultures as El Día de los Reyes and commemorates the Magi's gift giving to the Christ Child...so you see I will get to see those good men three one last time before Christmas comes to an end! :) But really let's face it the first thing that comes to our minds is that song! Some people say it is just a random song...fun for kids... but some say in it is some religious significance in code or was necessary during war times to pass secrets too even! :) As I was saying on Meady's Musings ...Hum Na Jaane ...dunno...however here is what this UK carols site- says about the meaning of the Twelve Days in the song:

'Religious symbolism of The Twelve Days of Christmas (The 12 Days of Christmas)

1 True Love refers to God
2 Turtle Doves refers to the Old and New Testaments
3 French Hens refers to Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues
4 Calling Birds refers to the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists
5 Golden Rings refers to the first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which gives the history of man's fall from grace.
6 Geese A-laying refers to the six days of creation
7 Swans A-swimming refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments
8 Maids A-milking refers to the eight beatitudes
9 Ladies Dancing refers to the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
10 Lords A-leaping refers to the ten commandments
11 Pipers Piping refers to the eleven faithful apostles
12 Drummers Drumming refers to the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed'

Hmm...and it makes sense though...TRUE LOVE = GOD!:)

Anyway we all think of that song and since I've been playing with John Denver and the Mumpets and enjoying it all Season long here they are! :)