Life N Canvas

Five Gold Rings!!! …
Here’s the second part of my ‘12 Days of Christmas’ review.

On the fifth day of Christmas my True Love sent to me, Five Gold Rings!..

Some say that the five rings represent another type of bird, the ring-necked pheasants. While according to others it refers to the crowns. Whatever they symbolizes, I believe they represent another set of wonderful gifts coming from the Lord - the first five books of the Holy Bible. (The first five books written by Moses himself termed as ‘Pentateuch’). It includes Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

On the sixth day of Christmas my True Love sent to me…Six Geese a Laying…

The term ‘a-laying’ here means 'to bring forth and deposit’. Geese are laying eggs. And those laying geese represent the six days of creation.

On the seventh day of Christmas my True Love sent to me, Seven Swans a Swimming….

Well, here comes the birds again, the swans! Swans are often associated with royalty. Really precious birds! And the seven swans a-swimming refers to the seven divine gifts of the Holy Spirits. These are Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety and Fear of the Lord.

On the eight day of Christmas my True Love sent to me, Eight Maids a Milking….

The maids do the milking of cows. Probably the counterparts for our servants today. Anyway, the ‘eight maids a milking’ stands for the eight Beatitudes mentioned by our Lord Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. (please refer to Matthew 5:3-10).

The other Days of Christmas
On the First Day.... .

On the Ninth Day ...

Quick Tutorial on Making Paper Santa - Santa Origami

“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:

On the Fifth Day...

On the Ninth Day...

To sing the 12 Days of Christmas for you….
Here are the paper angel carolers