25th Dec : 1st Day of Christmas
Yes. Contrary to what most people think, the 12 days of Christmas are not the 12 days leading to Christmas. The 1st day of Christmas is the day itself. This is because the traditional church celebrates Christmas from when the Word is proclaimed (the birth of Jesus) usually around Christmas Eve until 5th January, which is the Epiphany.
So, what does the 12 Days of Christmas means? It’s not just a silly song for children, historians says all the symbols are mnemonics used to help children remember the gifts of the church and God.
On the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me…
A Partridge in a Pear Tree
The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, whose birthday we celebrate on December 25, the first day of Christmas. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge that feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, recalling the expression of Christ’s sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: “Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered you under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but you would not have it so . . . .” (Luke 13:34)
