What's the symbolism in The Twelve Days of Christmas?

Question

The popular Christmas song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" has many different versions, but they're usually something along the lines of the following (final verse, which includes all the others): > On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me: Twelve drummers drumming, Eleven pipers piping, Ten lords a-leaping, Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five gold rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree. **What do these choices of gifts symbolise?** What's the deeper significance of each of the twelve types of people, animals, or objects? I seem to remember reading about a Christian significance (the twelve drummers are the twelve apostles, the four calling birds are the four evangelists, and so on). [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Days_of_Christmas_(song)#Meanings_of_the_gifts) also mentions an interpretation in terms of Catholic catechism, but also cites a source claiming that this is incorrect. I'd be interested in seeing both the evidence for and against this Catholic interpretation, and also any *other* reasonable interpretation of the song. A good answer would list several different possible symbolic meanings and summarise evidence for/against each one.

Answer 1

This is a fascinating topic of discussion primarily due to how Christmas as a whole has changed over the hundreds of years since its beginning! I don't know if there are necessarily any concrete answers one way or another - as time marches on, things are changed, and interpretations with it (for instance, the song "Baby, It's Cold Outside," is a tongue-in-cheek comedic song about expectations related to being a "good girl" from the female vocalist, with the male vocalist making excuses for her to do as she pleases, but in the modern day it leaves a sour taste in some peoples' mouths.)

One version of "The Twelve Days Of Christmas" was originally a song for identifying birds in the English area where it originated. One could suppose that, much like other localisms, its possible some of the gifts on each day are actually regional vernacular for more birds, in the same way "eye of newt" actually refers to mustard seed.

Some other theories of the song is merely that its a memory game, and the reason the gifts are so strange is for both comedy and mnemonic purposes, hence the alteration in many of the lines.

In terms of a Christian interpretation, many different ways of interpretation could work. You could insinuate that each of the twelve gifts could be symbolic of Jesus's birth and the procession surrounding, with Jesus himself being the Partridge and the pear tree being the manger inside the barn, which would make the two turtle doves Mary and Joseph, the three French hens the wise men, etc. You could also go for an interpretation that all the birds are angels, while all the people are followers or biblical figures.

I would perhaps take that interpretation with a grain of salt, however, as it lacks the usual symbology of Christian beliefs, such as lambs or shepherds or fish, though it does have a few similarities. My personal supposition is that it was originally about birds, like I mentioned above, but evolved over time to include Christian symbolism as it became more closely associated with the holiday.

I hope I've explained myself well without stepping on any toes - I think any interpretation of the song is a valid one, and I hope there aren't any Christians who find my study offensive as it wasn't my intention. This was an excellent question, though, and I hope I've given some form of satisfying answer!

Happy holidays and new year!