On the second day of Christmas
My True Love Gave To me
Two Turtle Doves
By tradition the two turtle doves represent the Old and New Testaments
and a partridge in a pear tree.
Almost everyone is familiar with the song without being aware of the symbolism and legends associated with each of the days.
The 12 Days of Christmas actually begin at sundown on Christmas day (December 25) and proceed evening/day until the morning of January 6th or Epiphany which marks the celebration of the arriival of the Three Kings with their gifts for the Christ Child in the Church Calendar. This is the official period of Christmastide.
By legend each of the 12 days has a liturgical meaning used to teach children, the illiterate, and those not allowed to practice their faith openly due to religious persecution. Thus the "first day" is Jesus because the partridge will lay down its life to save its young.
2 comments:
I ignore it all as much as possible and spend most of the day quietly. Helen (neighbor) and I had a good dinner at the hospital and went for a quite drive in the mountains.
Getmas, bah.
this is so wonderful to learn about.....so i guess there are not 3 French hens then either ? I always loved this song.....( I never did find a good version on Youtube, some drunken versions- yes....)
Merry Merry...
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