On the First Day...

partridge pear tree

“On the first day of Christmas my True Love sent to me;  A partridge in a pear tree..” 



There goes the first line of the famous Christmas carol ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’. I thought the lyrics meant nothing - just another joyful music with great rhymes. However, I’ve learned that the lyrics was intended to secretly  teach the  children the Christian faith (during the times when Christianity was forbidden in England). According to Wikipedia, the song is French in origin although it is  a popular English carol. Anyway, there are countless explanations regarding the origin and meaning of the song but as far as my understanding is concerned, I’d like to stick to its simplest meaning. 

my ‘True Love’  represents the Lord, our God 
'Me' refers to the believer 

Partridge is a medium-sized non-migratory bird  (under the Pheasant family) and it represents Christ

Pear tree is  a common fruit tree and it represents the cross. 
A partridge in a pear tree meaning ‘Christ died on the cross’ 

On the second day of Christmas my True Love sent to me, Two Turtle Doves… 

Turtle doves are small birds similar to pigeons. Known for their loyalty to their partners (true love),  turtle doves were also used as an offering, a sacrifice. The two turtle doves refer to the two gifts given by God to mankind - the Old and the New Testaments. 



On the third day of Christmas my True Love sent to me…Three French Hens… 
‘Three French hens’ refers to the 3 Christian values – faith, hope and love!
But why French hens? I asked. One probable explanation is that chickens are basic menu during feasts and there are three superior breeds of chickens coming from France. 


On the fourth day of Christmas my True Love sent to me…Four Calling Birds 
The original term is 'colly birds' meaning 'blackbirds'. They were known for their melodic calls or music. They represent  the four evangelists or writers of the Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. 

The continuation:
To sing the 12 Days of Christmas for you….
Here are the paper angel carolers
singing paper angels
Just in case you want  a paper angel template,  I have created a simple tutorial. kindly see this link. - Creating Paper Angels

Happy Yuletide Season!

15 comments:

Lady Fishbone said...

ayee very cute paper angels :)

thanks for sharing this.

Happy yuletide too ^^

Ric said...

thanks for the visit jessica : )

xoxo_grah said...

Na basa ko din to somewhere....thanks for sharing...i share mo na rin ung the rest of the song...:) hihi


xx!

MEcoy said...

have a merry christmas my friend

well its a season to be happy after all

Ric said...

yes, I'll share the rest of the songs. medyo busy lang kaya first four muna hehe...to be continued.. thanks xoxo_grah..

Ric said...

yes, MeCoy.. it's time to be jolly!

Pink Line said...

ahehe..ngaun ko lang to nalaman..galing ng explanation..dati ko pa iniisip kung ano ibig sabihin ng mga binibigay ni true love sa kantang yan eh..tamad lang ako magresearh hehe buti na lang ni-post mo.. more more!

joanne said...

Kung ako yung bata noon sa England, hindi ko mage-gets ang meaning ng song na to, haha! Ngayon ko nga lang nalaman to e! Pero it was nice to know, thanks for sharing! Cute nun paper angels oh

Archieviner VersionX said...

Ngayon ko lang nalaman.. may meaning pala iyon. Thanks for sharing. San yung kasunod? hehe

Ric said...

yes, friends, there'll be part 2 hehe.. thanks!

joy said...

I learned something precious today. Thanks for sharing.
You are so creative din pala:)

Unknown said...

Great :D I didnt know that thnx :D

Ric said...

yes, thanks friends : )

Agnes Dela Cruz said...

Hi there LifeNcanvas!

Thought if checking u here and you were singing? :)) nice one.

-magzdc

Ric said...

Hello Magzdc, ..the bubblews site is down so i'd rather sing a carol. thanks for the visit : )