M E R I D I A N M A G A Z I N E
The Twelve Days of ChristmasFor the past twelve days, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square have been sharing clips from their 2007 Christmas Concert performance of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” with subscribers to the Choir's weekly newsletter. On this, the twelfth day, we wanted to extend access to this delightful set of clips to Meridian 's Readers. The link at the end of this article will take you to a video player page that starts automatically at day twelve. From there you can click on image links at the bottom to play each of the other eleven. (Please note that these are high definition video clips so you will need a high speed connection to view them effectively.)
Did you know that some early traditions hold that this song was used as a teaching tool to instruct young people of various denominations in the Christian faith? Of course, even without the symbolism, the song is a playful piece that loses none of its appeal when taken at face value. But here is the traditional symbolism that was used for each day as researched by Eric D. Huntsman, Associate Professor of Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University and a member of the baritone section of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir:
1. The partridge in the pear tree is Jesus on the cross. The bird imagery can also be seen as symbolic of Christ's teaching “as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings.” (See Luke 13:34).
2. The two turtledoves represent the Old Testament and the New Testament.
3. The three French hens symbolize the three members of the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Alternatively, they represent the three virtues: faith, hope, and charity (or love) (see 1 Corinthians 13:13).
4. The four colly birds (“colly” is an old word for “black”) stand for the four Evangelists—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—or the four Gospels they wrote.
5. The five gold rings correspond to the first five books of the Bible, sometimes referred to as the Pentateuch.
6. The six geese a-laying refer to the six days of the Creation (see Genesis 1:31; Exodus 20:11).
7. The seven swans a-swimming suggest the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (see Romans 12:6-8). Alternately, the seven swans represent the seven sacraments recognized by some faith traditions.
8. The eight maids a-milking signify the eight Beatitudes from Christ's Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 5:3-10).
9. The nine ladies dancing embody the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23).
10. The ten lords a-leaping denote the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 20:3-17).
11. The eleven pipers piping are the eleven faithful Apostles (see Luke 6:13-16; Acts 1:26).
12. The twelve drummers drumming are the twelve doctrines of the Apostles' Creed (namely: belief in the Father, belief in the Son, the virgin birth, his ministry after death, his ascension to Heaven, his role as judge, belief in the Holy Ghost, belief in the church, forgiveness of sins, the resurrection, and eternal life).
Click here to go to a page presenting the video clips.
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