Hi Puzzlers,
I just learned that the cute holiday song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas", has three different stories behind why it was written. Gosh, even something that seems so simple can be complicated. I guess there is always a story behind the story, or in this case, stories.
Historical sources dating back 150 years all classify “The Twelve Days of Christmas” as a counting song for kids. In the 1842 edition of The Nursery Rhymes of England, author J.O. Halliwell details how the rhyme was used as a game. “Each child in succession repeats the gifts of the day, and forfeits for each mistake.” Well you know what they say, whoever "they" are, “Repetition is the mother of skill.”
Next, and the strangest to me, is that "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is a love song. University of Massachusetts classics professor Edward Phinney said in a 1990 newspaper interview, “If you think of all the things being presented, you realize they’re all gifts from a lover to a woman. Some of them are rather impossible to give, like eight maids milking, and nine ladies dancing and pipers and drums all imply this is a wedding.” I guess that makes sense, so going forward "The Twelve Days of Christmas" song will now be played at all holiday weddings!
Last on the list is that "The Twelve Days Of Christmas" was written “to be a catechism song for young children.” This tale states that back in the sixteenth century Roman Catholics in England were not allowed to practice their faith and would be persecuted, children and all, if they were caught. So this carol was written with hidden meaning and symbolism to teach young Catholics about the doctrine. Ace Collins describes the hidden meaning in his book, Stories Behind the Best Loved Songs of Christmas.
WOW! All those stories for one cute Christmas carol.
Happy Puzzling!
I just learned that the cute holiday song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas", has three different stories behind why it was written. Gosh, even something that seems so simple can be complicated. I guess there is always a story behind the story, or in this case, stories.
Historical sources dating back 150 years all classify “The Twelve Days of Christmas” as a counting song for kids. In the 1842 edition of The Nursery Rhymes of England, author J.O. Halliwell details how the rhyme was used as a game. “Each child in succession repeats the gifts of the day, and forfeits for each mistake.” Well you know what they say, whoever "they" are, “Repetition is the mother of skill.”
Next, and the strangest to me, is that "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is a love song. University of Massachusetts classics professor Edward Phinney said in a 1990 newspaper interview, “If you think of all the things being presented, you realize they’re all gifts from a lover to a woman. Some of them are rather impossible to give, like eight maids milking, and nine ladies dancing and pipers and drums all imply this is a wedding.” I guess that makes sense, so going forward "The Twelve Days of Christmas" song will now be played at all holiday weddings!
Last on the list is that "The Twelve Days Of Christmas" was written “to be a catechism song for young children.” This tale states that back in the sixteenth century Roman Catholics in England were not allowed to practice their faith and would be persecuted, children and all, if they were caught. So this carol was written with hidden meaning and symbolism to teach young Catholics about the doctrine. Ace Collins describes the hidden meaning in his book, Stories Behind the Best Loved Songs of Christmas.
WOW! All those stories for one cute Christmas carol.
Happy Puzzling!
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