Merry Christmas Everyone
There is one Christmas carol
that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens,
swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree
have to do with Christmas? This week, I found out.
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.
So there is your
history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting
and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas
Carol...so pass it on if you wish.
Merry (Twelve Days of)
Christmas Everyone
CHRISTMAS AT ARLINGTON CEMETERY
I wonder why the press hasn't
enlightened the public about it?
Arlington National Cemetery
Rest easy, sleep well my brothers. Know the line has held, your job is done. Rest easy, sleep well. Others have taken up where you fell, the line has held. Peace, peace, and farewell...
Readers may be interested to know that these
wreaths -- some 5,000 -- are donated by the Worcester Wreath Co. of Harrington ,
Maine . The owner, Merrill Worcester, not only provides the wreaths, but covers
the trucking expense as well. He's done this since 1992. A wonderful guy. Also,
most years, groups of Maine school kids combine an educational trip to DC with
this
event to help out. Making this even more remarkable is the fact that Harrington
is in one the poorest parts of the state.
Please share this with everyone on your address list. You hear too much about
the bad things people do. Everyone should hear about this.