[LuBoo]

DID YOU KNOW? I DID NOT - I FOUND IT VERY INTERESTING.
A VERY DEAR FRIEND SENT THIS TO ME SO I THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE IT
WITH YOU GUYS.


From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were
not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone
during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young
Catholics.
It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning
plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each
element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality
which the children could remember.
-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke
& John.
-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five
books of the Old Testament.
-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy
Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership,
and Mercy.
-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love,
Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and
Self Control.
-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.
-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief
in the Apostles' Creed.

WISHING ALL OF YOU HAPPY HOLIDAYS - LUBOO

[TripleB]

WOW, Luboo, THAT IS TOTALLY AWESOME!!!! I'm blown away to not have ever known that. Thank you for sharing this knowledge with all of us. Whenever I hear that song again, I will not dismiss it as a silly Christmas carol, but one of very deep meaning.

[TripleB]

After reading this posting and digesting the material, I did some research and found that, while the concept of the religious tie-in is incredibly coincidental, sadly, it appears this bit of info is false. Check it out with snopes. Still, I think it is a great conversation piece.

[elcelcpa]

LuBoo, I have heard this in years past as well.

When people talk about the "Spirit of the Season", that definition means many different things, pending one's personal view of the holiday season.

There will always be nay-sayers and those trying to spoof or negate religious beliefs.

However, this story (and the meaning of Christmas itself!) has profound substance and meaning to those who choose to believe.

Love ya LuBoo! Thanks for sharing!

El Cee