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People often think of The Twelve Days of Christmas as the days preceding the festival. Actually, Christmas is a season of the Christian Year beginning December 25 and lasting until January 6 - the Day of Epiphany - when the church celebrates the revelation of Christ as the light of the world and recalls the journey of the Magi. From 1558 until 1829 people in England were not allowed to practice their faith openly. During this era someone wrote 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' as a kind of secret catechism that could be sung in public without risk of persecution. The song has two levels of interpretation: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of the church. Each element in the carol is a code word for a religious reality.
There you have it, the HIDDEN meaning of "The Twelve Days of Christmas"and the secret behind the song. Received this from a friend and it gave new meaning to the song we sing at this time of year. Hope you find this as "New/Old Meaning" to the season. |
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