Does the song The Twelve Days of Christmas have anything to do with the Christian tradition of the Epiphany?

Answer

Yes. The "Twelve Days" are the days after Christmas, leading up to Epiphany. Note that Christmas itself isn't one of the twelve days; it is the twelve days *after* Christmas that count! There were once traditions associated with each of the twelve days; I recommend reading John Matthew's "The Winter Solstice: The Sacred Traditions of Christmas" for details on those traditions.

You will sometimes read that the Twelve Days count Christmas, but NOT Epiphany; as evidence, it will be offered that the night of January 5 is called "Twelfth Night." This is both acccurate and inaccurate, and to understandit, you must know the following:

In ancient English tradition, DAYS and NIGHTS were recorded seperately. That is, what we call "Monday" ("monandaeg" in Anglo-Saxon) ended at sundown,a nd what we call "Monday night" was actually, literally, "Mon-night" (monannicht in A-S).

What does this mean? The "Twelve" count begins on *Christmas night,* which is the "first night." The next day, December 26, is the "first day;" the night of December 2h the "second night," and so on. So the eve of January 5 *is* Twelfth Night, and the day of January 6 is the Twelfth Day of Christmas.

I have seen it claimed that the Twelve Days correspond to a scattered number of important Christian days in December and January, including St. Nicholas Day on December 6th, but this is wrong.

Also wrong is the myth that the 'Twelve Days of Christmas" is somehow a coded Catholic catechism. See this site for that one:

http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/12days.asp

Answer

Yes, the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" has everything to do with the Christian tradition of Epiphany. Modern Christians have even associated each gift with a symbolic of a Christian tradition: True love is symbolic of God. The partridge in the pear tree is a symbol of Jesus. The pear tree is the symbol of the salvation of man, just as the fruit tree in the garden of Eden sybolized the downfall of man. [2?] Three French hens are the symbol of faith, hope and love. The four calling birds are symbolic of the four Gospel writers. [5?] Six geese a laying represent the 6 days of creation. 7 swans a swimming - the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit. [8 and 9?] Ten lords a leaping -- the 10 commandments. [11?] 12 drummers -- the 12 tribes of Israel or the 12 Apostles. The number 12 also represents completion and fullness.

There is no accurate evidence that the song originally held such meanings, but it's wonderful that modern Christians have been able to interpret the song so!

First answer by Brian Hudson. Last edit by WriterLarge. Contributor trust: 202 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 109 [recommend question]