Episode 42: The Twelve Days of Christmas

Join your host  Gina as she returns from a hiatus and shares her experiences at the American folklore conference in November. She expresses gratitude to new listeners who discovered her through the conference. Gina mentions her October episodes focused on Gothic and horror short stories, and announces her December theme of exploring Christmas-themed nursery rhymes. The main focus of this episode is the history of the "12 Days of Christmas" nursery rhyme. Gina reads the entire rhyme and delves into its origins, mentioning variations in different cultures and historical interpretations. She explores the possible significance of the gifts and discusses the connection of the 12 days to the Christian celebration of Christmas tide, highlighting the historical context and traditions associated with the period. The podcast combines insights into nursery rhymes, historical contexts, and religious traditions.  **Note - I forgot to mention in the podcast episode that the song we all know and love attributed to "The 12 Days of Christmas" was published by Fredrick Austin in 1780. Prior to this, it was just read out loud in rhyme.  Visit my website at atiskettasketpodcast.com 

Transcript

Microphone (G733 Gaming Headset): 0:45

Hello and welcome to a task podcast. I'm your host, Gina. And I want to welcome all of you back. From my brief hiatus in November, where I took some time off to well, Get some things done. I am back from the American folklore conference, which took place in the first week of November. And I want to say thank you to all of you who are just joining me from my appearance there at the conference. It was literally life-changing and I cannot believe all of the amazing people I met and the amazing sessions I went to. It was absolutely wonderful. So again, if you are listening to me for the first time, because of that conference, that thank you so much. For those of you who were unable to attend the conference and would like to listen to my presentation about the history of nursery rhymes. Please take a look. On my website description below. Where you can find a link to access my presentation. It went very well. And I was very happy with the response I was given. The audience was amazing. My fellow co panelists were awesome as well. But to get started today, back into the groove of things. In the month of October, I did four short stories. The history of some short stories, because there are little to no nursery rhymes that have to do with my favorite holiday Halloween. Instead I took a look at some Gothic, whore, or other famous haunting, short stories. Please take a listen to those for the month of December. I thought we'd go back to nursery rhymes, but this time, take a look at some Christmas themes. Nursery rhymes. Of course, we only have four short weeks in so many Christmas carols and rhymes, so I want to cover. But we will only cover for this month. And today we are starting out with the one I've always wanted to know the history of and know more about. And that is the 12 days of Christmas. This nursery rhyme. Has a route folk song index number of 68. Which I think is the, lowest route folk song number I have run across. Today, join me as I look into the history of the 12 days of Christmas.

Microphone (G733 Gaming Headset)-1: 3:01

To start off with, I thought I would go ahead and read this nursery rhyme. It is a cumulative nursery rhyme, just like the nursery Remy covered earlier about there was an old lady who swallowed a fly. It's a little bit long, but I'm going to go ahead and read it just to refresh your memory. The first day of Christmas. My true love sent to me a Partridge in a pear tree. The second day of Christmas. My true love sent to me, two turtle doves, and a Partridge in a pear tree. The third day of Christmas. My true love sent to me three French hens, two turtle doves, and a Partridge in a pear tree. The fourth day of Christmas. My true love sent to me for Cali, C O L L Y. Birds three French hens, two turtle doves, and a Partridge in a pear tree. The fifth day of Christmas. My true love sent to me five golden rings. For Kali birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a Partridge in a pear tree. The sixth day of Christmas. My true love sent to me, six Giza laying five gold rings, four Kali birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a Partridge in a pear tree. The seventh day of Christmas. My true love sent to me. Seven swans, a swimming. Six geese allaying five gold rinks. For Kali birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a Partridge in a pear tree. On the eighth day of Christmas. My true love sent to me, eight maids, a milking seven swans, a swimming, six Giza Lang. Five gold rings. For Kali birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a Partridge in a pear tree. The ninth day of Christmas. My true love sent to me nine drummers drumming. Eight maids milking 70 wants a swimming, six Gosling, five gold rings, four Kali birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a Partridge in a pear tree. The 10th day of Christmas. My true love sent to me. 10 Pipers piping nine drummers drumming, eight maids, a milking. Seven swans, a swimming, six skis, allaying five gold rings, four Collie birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a Partridge in a pear tree. The 11th day of Christmas. My true love sent to me. 11 ladies dancing, 10 Pipers piping, nine drummer's drumming, eight maids, a milking sentence wants a swimming, six Kesa Lang five gold rings for Kali birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a Partridge in a pear tree. The 12th day of Christmas. My true love sent to me. 12 Lords of leaping 11 ladies dancing, 10 Pipers piping, nine drummers drumming. Eight maids a milking seven swans, a swimming, six Giza Lang. Five gold rings for Kali birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a Partridge in a pear tree. This is just one of those quintessential nursery rhymes and songs that I know from my childhood. And it's one I hear every year and I've always been really curious to know the history of it. So I'm going to go ahead and read what the experts that is opiate opiate of the Oxford dictionary of nursery rhymes have to say about it. Rhyme or chance also known in France, the meaning of which if it has any, has yet to be satisfactorily explained. The lines are first found in a diminutive children's book, Murph without mischief published in London about 1780. They are there the words of a fireside memory in forfeits game? The 12 days of Christmas, which 100 years later, lady GOM describes playing every 12th day night before eating mince pies in 12th cake. The leader of the game commenced by saying the lines of the first day. And then we're repeated by each member of the company in turn. Then the leader said the seconds in the first days together, which were similarly repeated round the circle. This was continued until the lines for the 12 days were said by every player. For each mistake, a forfeit was demanded. In Scotland early in the 19th century, the resuscitation began. The king, since his lady and the first you'll day. Popping go away, which is apparently the Scottish word for parents. What learns my Carole and carries it away. The succeeding gifts were three partridges three. Plovers a goose that was gray. Three starlings three gold Spinks, a bowl that was brown, three ducks and Barry Lang. Three swans and Mary swimming and Arabian baboon three Hines of marrying hunting, three maids of marrying dancing, three stocks marrying corn. In the Probably mispronounced that I do apologize in the north of France. The game is called Liz Dawn's daily. And the sequence is one Partridge, two turtle doves, three wood pigeons, four ducks flying, five rabbits trotting, six hairs, field seven hounds running. Eight shorn sheep. Nine horned oxen. 10 good turkeys, 11. Good hams, 12 small Jesus. Whew. I'm reading this and I still feel like I made a billion mistakes reading through that, but can you imagine singing that maybe after a few glasses of mold wine? In any case in the west of France, the piece is known as a song. and his song of avec slant yet the sequence being a good stuffing without bones. Two breasts of feel three joints of beef for pig Trotters, five legs of mutton six partridges with cabbage seven spitted rabbits, eight plates of salad. Nine dishes for a chapter of cannons. I have no idea what that is. 10 full casks, 11, beautiful, full breasted maidens. And 12 Musketeers with their swords. Man, these people are getting amazing gifts, right? A long, a zoo. Chance is similar, but the gifts are made on the first 15 days of may. Partridge that flies is followed by two doves, three white pigeons, four ducks flying in an air five rabbits, six hairs, seven hunting dogs, eight white horses. Nine horned. Oxens 10 bleeding sheep, 11 soldiers coming from war 12, maidens 13 white nose, gays, 14 white Loews, 15 casks of wine. Suggestions have been made that the gifts have significance As representing to the food or sports. For each month of the year. Importance is certainly long been attached to the 12 days. When for instance, the weather on each day was carefully observed. To see what it would be in the corresponding month of the coming year. Nevertheless, whatever the ultimate origin of the chant, it seems probable that the lines would survive today. Both in England and France Are merely an ear religious travesty possibly have a chance like Dick mealy, squid. Eunice. Which I'm assuming as Latin. Or have a Carroll like that in Sloan M S 2005 93. And it writes Ms. Printed, 1847 of the 15th century. I cannot read middle and old English, but there is a 15th century poem. That is very similar. And I'm going to try to translate it into modern English here. The first day of your we have in mind, how God was man born of our kinds for he, the bonds would. Unbind of all. Our sins in weaknesses. The second day we sing of Stephen. Does it mean to St. Stephen that stoned in stewed up even. Or stayed up even to God that he saw stoned in heaven in. Crowned was for his. Prowess. Again, excuse me. I was reading that from middle English. But this has been researched by a number of people as the ops and ops have said, including. Shepherd with the Murph without mischief that was published in 1780, you can 1828. Jen orchard, Holly. Well in 1842. Among others. The obese continue that there are other versions. I'm appearing for example, in 1898, gone gums version folk songs from Somerset. And Cecil sharp dance, you know, to five folk song five versions noted by Cecil sharp in which singer begins with the 12th day and omits a day at a time until second day. When the process is first, thus one version begins the 12th day of Christmas. My true love sent to me, 12 bulls, a roaring 11 bears, a beading 10 Lords, a leaping. Eight here's a running seven. One's a swimming 60, so Lang five golden rings, four Kali birds, three French hens, two turtle doves in a part of a Juniper tree. 1923 com hitter version, Walter Delamar also uses this version. Another footnote in this book says that If the Partridge in the pear tree of the English version is to be taken literally. It looks as if the chance comes from France. It's the red leg Partridge. Which purchases. Entries more frequently than the common Partridge was not successfully introduced into England until about 1770. So there you go. If we're to take this song, literally, then this is probably from a French version. So, yes, that is what the ops and ops have to say. About the 12 days of Christmas. There are a few things that I found out doing a little bit more researcher, but. This is yet another nursery rhyme poem or song. That's seems to be that a lot of people have opinions and what it might mean, but there is very little documentations on what. Does mean? So I've heard a lot of rumors that each gift is supposed to be an allegory. Of some religious texts, but as OB and OB says, it's probably one of those things that have been passed down orally so much that it's kind of just been lost to history. And so we are left. With the version we have today. And speaking of passing down for oral history. I always heard in sang it as for calling C a L L I N G birds as if it were maybe a Nightingale or a parrot repeating, but in the written text, it is Colleen C O L L Y. Which I have found out through research of this nursery rhyme. Is a, another name in England for Blackbird. So for Kali birds means that the recipient received for blackbirds. And so what is the major questions I have is in the English version. Why are people receiving so many birds? Is it have to do with the feasting because when we listened to. When I listed out the French version there's definitely more variety there. And I think it's interesting that like the first half of gift giving or birds and then the second half or. Or like people, the drummers and the maids and what not.

Microphone (G733 Gaming Headset)-2: 13:56

Now if you're like me, you may be wondering why is it the 12 days of Christmas? What makes 12 an important number? I didn't grow up in a particularly religious household. But after researching this nursery rhyme, but it kind of. I don't know, spark some memories from what I have learned about religion, especially with in terms of Christianity, but the 12 days of Christmas may also be known as 12 tied in for Many Christians have many denominations. It is a celebration of the birth of Jesus and previously. It's not really celebrated anymore. So the reason. In the 12 days of Christmas the poem starts on the first day of Christmas that's because Christmas day is considered the first day of Christmas. And the celebration goes two, usually January 6th or January 5th. Of celebrations and that has to do with a number of different things that I'll, I'll just talk about. For many Christian denominations, for example, the Anglican communion communion in the Lutheran church. The 12 days are identical to Christmas tide, but for others like the Roman Catholic church, Christmas tide lasts longer. And there's a lot of. Different historical reasons on why to celebrate 12 tide. It maybe just the feasting time of Jesus's birth. It may be the time that celebrates the time between Jesus's birth on December 25th to Jesus's first. Miracle, which was changing water into wine at the wedding in Canaan. But there are other, maybe a little bit stranger reasons. Like for example, I read a document saying that this 12 tide might be the celebration of the birth of Jesus and then his circumcision. So. I am not a religious experts and folks out there know a lot more than me, but I, this is just what I found out. But to give you a little bit of history of 12 tide or the 12 days of Christmas. In the year, 567. Yes, that's right. You heard me right. 567. The council of tours. Proclaimed that the 12 days from Christmas. To January six, which is apifany. Is a sacred and festive season that establishes the duty of advent fasting in preparation for the feast. Wikipedia says that Christopher Hill, as well as William J Federer states. That this has done in order to solve the quilt administration problem for the Roman empire. Is it tried to coordinate the solar Julian calendar with a lunar calendars of its provinces to the east. So remember when Christianity was first starting out in the Roman empire, they were trying to figure out how to get more people kind of. To buy into this religion. And so there was a lot of changes from administratively, yes. To kind of try to fit old religions into new religions or, or old religious into Christianity. And so. That's another reason why We have a lot of traditions from other religions kind of being folded into Christianity at the time. So an excellent example of this is the Christmas tree. You know, Jesus, his birth isn't represented by a fir tree being in someone else's home. That's actually an ancient Celtic tradition. And so like that, the. Administrative folks of Christian religion or the council of tourists decided, okay. How were we going to get these dates to line up? Oh, I know we'll call it 12 tide and we'll celebrate in feast in fast between Jesus's birth December 25th and epiphany, which is the first week in January. In early Christianity. In the Armenian apostolic church and the Armenian Catholic church, they celebrate the birth in baptism of Christ on the same day. So. December 25th. And so that there's no distinction between the feast of Christmas in the feast of epiphany. However, the Oriental Orthodox other than the Armenians in the Eastern Orthodox, as well as the Eastern Catholics follow the same traditions, have a 12 day interval between two fees, which is Christmas and epiphany. And they are celebrated by these churches on the 25th of December and the 6th of January using the Julian calendar, which corresponds to the seventh and 19th of January using the Georgian calendar. I could go into like how time has affected Christianity and stuff. But again, I'm not an expert in this. But I think it's really interesting that in these nursery rhymes, you can still kind of see how early Christianity affected time, because we have the 12 days of Christmas. And we don't really celebrate apifany anymore. However, I grew up in a Italian household and we did have something called the epiphany cake. And which we had a ring. Baked into a cake and whoever got the slice of cake with a ring in it. I was said to have good luck through the new year and also had to bake the cake for the next year. But to talk a bit, a little bit more about epiphany in terms of Christianity, because it has relevance into this, the nursery round 12 days of Christmas. Tiffany May also be known as theophany which is Eastern Christian tradition and it is a Christian feast day commemorating the visit of the magic, the three magic, the baptism of Jesus and the wedding at Cana, which is where Jesus was said to turn water into wine. However in Western Christianity, the feast commemorates The visits of the magic to the Christ child or three Kings and thus Jesus Christ. Physical manifest for station. It is also sometimes called three Kings day and I am familiar with like three Kings cake. And in some traditions celebrated as little Christmas. Moreover, the feast of the epiphany is in some denomination also negotiates the liturgical season. Of apifany tide. Again, something I knew so little about before I started studying nursery rhymes. And then I really just wanted to know the history of The 12 days of Christmas. And then I got into reading like, The history of Christianity and. How different denominations believe in certain things and other things, but overall, I'll tell you this, the 12 days of Christmas refers to. December 25th to January 6th, because that's what originally was celebrated as the festivities of the birth of Christ, because you have to think about it. Before transportation before like mass transportation and mass communication. Feasting days were long because well, pEople were traveling as much and Sophie stays were long and celebrated. And so that you had 12 days of celebration. So overall. 12 days of Christmas, we're not sure where it appeared some say as early as the 16th century, some say around the 18th century. There is no evidence that the, all of the bird gifts refer to allegories. And I hope I taught you today. That calling is, is just another name for a Blackbird in English and is not calling as in C a L L I N G. So I learned a lot and I hope you did too. And I tried to find an old recording of this. The 12 days of Christmas is in the public domain, but a lot of the recordings are not so. So in closing, I am going to play reader's digest Christmas through the ages. The 12 days of Christmas by the Royal Philharmonic. Orchestra in chorus. But in any case, I hope everyone had a good time listening to this and learn something today. Hope you all have happy, a happy holiday season and a happy new year stay tune in next week where I will cover yet another Christmas nursery rhyme or holiday nursery rhyme. And hopefully you'll learn something new. In any case. To the next time where we'll continue to talk about the weirdness of nursery rhymes.

Royal Phil: 21:58

On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, a partridge in a pear tree. On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, two turtledoves and a partridge in a pear tree. On the third day of Christmas, my true love said to me, Three great ships, two turtledoves, and a partridge in a pear tree. On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love said to me, The Holy Mass, three great enchants. Two little doves and a partridge in a pear tree. On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, Five good riddance. Four calling birds, three French hens, Two little doves and a partridge in a pear tree. On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, Six geese a laying, five gold rings. Four holly birds, three French hens, Two wood and a buck doves, And a partridge in a pear tree. On the seventh day of Christmas, My true love sent to me, Seven squatters swimming, Six geese a laying, five gold rings. Four holly birds, three French hens, Two wood and a buck doves, And a partridge in a pear tree. Day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Eight blades of milk, seven swans a swimming, Six geese a laying, five gold rings, Four calling birds, three French hens, Two devil doves, and a partridge in a pear tree. Day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Eight blades of milk, seven swans a laying, Six geese a laying, five gold rings, Two devil doves, and a partridge in a pear tree. It's a million, seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying, by and by, by and by, glory. The morning birds sing, the Frenchmen scoot out of the house, and the barrage in a bear tree. 10th day of prison meeting. Clothes are leaving nine. Lady's dancing eight. Maids are melting seven. Swans are swimming six. Peace a day. Ah! On the 11th day of prison... Christmas, my true love sent to me. Eleven, five was five. Eight, ten was a leaping. Nine, three was dancing. Eight, eight a milking. Seven, seven was swimming. Six, six a laying. Five, all three. Four, five was three. Three, ten was two. Two, a dancing. And a partridge in a pear tree. Christmas, my true love sent to me. I was wrong if you learn, I was right if you tell. God's a king in nine days, God's a king in seven days, God's a king in six days, God's a king in five or three. The Lord in heav'n sends, Heav'n sends, To the wounded.