As Catholics, Christmas isn't over yet. But what is the difference between Christmas season (end/beginning), the 8 days of Christmas, and the 12 days of Christmas? I know they all mean something...but what's the difference?

- Jill

Jill thanks for the question - its after Christmas as I answer this, sorry.  Christmas as we all know is the celebration of the birth of Christ.  Christmas gets celebrated for 8 days, from Dec. 25 - Jan. 1, and is called the Octave of Christmas.  Each of those 8 days are celebrated just like Christmas day (we do the same thing at Easter, celebrate Easter for 8 days).  The Christmas season ends with the Baptism of the Lord (this year that was Sun. Jan. 13).  The 12 days of Christmas was a song that was written in England when it was a crime to be Catholic, so all the things in the 12 days are hidden references to aspects of our faith.  So it is like a catechism in hiding so that people could still express their faith without going to jail.  When you read what each stands for it is really cool.  Do a google search!  Thanks for the question - hope NY is going well. 

 Pax Christi..  FJ

 


Comments

Jill

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:46:29

Hey, thanks! The 12 days thing was particularly interesting. As you suggested, I did a Google search. Here's what "The 12 Days of Christmas" means:

1st Day: The partridge in a pear tree is Christ Jesus upon the Cross. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge because she would feign injury to decoy a predator away from her nestlings. She was even willing to die for them. The tree is the symbol of the fall of the human race through the sin of Adam and Eve. It is also the symbol of its redemption by Jesus Christ on the tree of the Cross.

2nd Day: The "two turtle doves" refers to the Old and New Testaments.

3rd Day: The "three French hens" stand for faith, hope and love—the three gifts of the Spirit that abide (1 Corinthians 13).

4th Day: The "four calling birds" refers to the four evangelists who wrote the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—which sing the song of salvation through Jesus Christ.

5th Day: The "five golden rings" represents the first five books of the Bible, also called the Jewish Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

6th Day: The "six geese a-laying" is the six days of creation.

7th Day: The "seven swans a-swimming" refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.

8th Day: The "eight maids a milking " reminded children of the eight beatitudes listed in the Sermon on the Mount.

9th Day: The "nine ladies dancing" were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

10th Day: The "ten lords a-leaping" represents the Ten Commandments

11th Day: The "eleven pipers piping" refers to the eleven faithful apostles.

12th Day: The ‘twelve drummers drumming" were the twelve points of belief expressed in the Apostles’ Creed: belief in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, made man, crucified, died and arose on the third day, that he sits at the right hand of the father and will come again, the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.

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Verrrrry interesting. Thanks again, Fr. J!

 

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