During the late 1600s and through a good part of the 18th century, the Catholic Irish and English suffered under these Penal Laws. The Catholic Church was an “underground Church,” a hidden Church, and to profess one’s faith publicly carried heavy penalties, the death penalty in some cases. One way the Irish preserved and practiced the Faith openly was through encoded songs. To the casual listener, they were harmless love songs, but to those who knew their deep spiritual meanings and symbolisms, they were professions of the Faith, prayers for the liberation of Ireland, and even one of the means of continuing to teach the Catechism to children. The story is that the “Twelve Days of Christmas” Christmas carol is one of those songs.
This set of ornaments presents the Catholic symbolism behind “The Twelve Days of Christmas” by printing the symbol sung in the carol on one side and the hidden Catholic symbol behind it on the other.
The set consists of twelve aluminum double-sided ornaments, one for each of the Twelve days of Christmas.
Explanatory pamphlet included
Each ornament is approximately 4"x2.5"
Hanging ribbons included
Gift boxed
Designed and made by the Sisters
The “True Love” in the song, giving all of these gifts is none other than God the Father. Who but God loves truly and perfectly? Who is generous as God Himself is generous? Who but God can and would give, so wisely and abundantly, gifts such as these to the souls of men?
Twelfth Day - The Twelve Drummers Drumming, a symbol of the twelve points of the Apostles Creed. This summary of our entire faith is the steady, unchanging, drumbeat, the rhythm and direction to which the entire Church militant marches forward in the unity of Faith. Drums have traditionally accompanied soldiers marching into battle, helping them keep together and advance with courage, setting a tempo that rises above all chaos, and all of the other instruments follow its lead.
Eleventh Day - The Eleven Pipers Piping stand for the eleven faithful Apostles. A pipe produces a clear, penetrating sound that carries over a distance. Similarly, the Apostles were sent to announce the teachings of Christ to all nations. Holy Scripture (Psalm 19:4, Romans 10:18) states: "Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth: and their words unto the ends of the whole world." Although the Apostles were men of different characters, talents and missions, they all proclaimed one and the same Gospel. Just as eleven instruments can play together in harmony, the eleven faithful Apostles were united in the doctrine received from Christ.
Tenth Day - The Ten Lords A-Leaping are the Ten Commandments. In society, lords exercised authority and were responsible to maintain order. The Ten Commandments express the supreme authority of God, the Lord of Heaven and Earth, who alone is the ultimate source of the moral law. The Infant Jesus is the Divine Lawgiver who came not only to teach mankind God's commandments, but also to give us the grace necessary to observe them. The image of leaping suggests eagerness, energy, and joy. Thus, the leaping lords can suggest the readiness and joy with which a soul should follow God's commandments, not merely out of obligation, but out of love. The Psalmist declares: "I have run the way of Thy commandments, when Thou didst dilate my heart." — Psalm 118:32.
Ninth Day - The Nine Ladies Dancing stand for the nine choirs of Angels. Dancing is an expression of happiness, celebration, and rejoicing as well as harmony and perfect order. The Angels rejoice in the glory of God, and their joy was especially manifested at the Birth of Our Lord. The Nine Choirs of Angels exist in a beautiful hierarchy, each fulfilling its appointed role in the Divine Order. Their perfect obedience to God's will creates a heavenly harmony far surpassing anything on earth.
Eighth Day - The Eight Maids A-Milking are the eight Beatitudes. The humble domestic chore of milking is symbolic of our labor in the spiritual life. The summit, the goal of that labor in the spiritual life is the Beatitudes, which nourish and sustain the soul as a pure spiritual milk, and draw it into perfect union with God.
Seventh Day - Seven Swans A-Swimming stand for the seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost. The graceful swan is a perfect image of the Gifts of the Holy Ghost, which only reside in a soul that possesses sanctifying grace, a share in God’s life in the soul. The swans are swimming because grace, and therefore the Gifts, is given to the soul in the Sacrament of Baptism, when water is poured on the forehead or immerses the entire body of the new Christian. From Baptism, all the other seven Sacraments flow, as the ordinary means of increasing sanctifying grace in the soul.
Sixth Day - The Six Geese A-Laying are the six days of creation. The egg, in Christian tradition, is a symbol of the beginning of new life (recall decoration of Easter eggs). All creation was summed up in man, and was given as a gift to man in the Garden of Eden. With man’s fall, creation fell under the dominion of Satan. The Christ Child in the manger is not only the Creator of the whole world, but also its Redeemer. He was sent by God the Father to free all creation from the power of the devil and restore man to God’s grace.
Fifth Day - At this point, the entire melody of the song changes to emphasize the great importance of the fifth gift, the most precious of all. The Five Golden Rings are the five Wounds of Christ. Gold, because they are infinitely precious. “Knowing that you were redeemed not with corruptible things, as gold or silver ... but with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18)." Rings, because the un-ending circular shape of a ring symbolizes eternity. Christ’s sacrifice is eternal with eternal consequences; His sacrificial love is eternal. He bears His wounds, suffered for love of us, even in Heaven.
Fourth Day - The Four Calling Birds are the four Evangelists, calling out the good news of the Gospel into every corner of the world.
Third Day - The Three French Hens are the three Theological virtues. French hens were considered a meal fit for royalty, the best to put before a king. The three Theological virtues are the highest of the virtues in that they refer directly to God Himself and have God as their end.
Second Day - The Two Turtle Doves are the New and Old Testaments of the Bible. As St. Augustine said “The New Testament lies hidden in the Old, and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New,” and the turtle doves, which are said to mate for life, are a symbol of the close union between the two. There is also a connection to the Infancy of Christ and the Presentation in the Temple, the Feast that closes the Christmas season. On this occasion, St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother fulfilled the Old Law by offering two turtle doves in the temple for their Son. Not only did this sacrifice fulfill the requirements Old Law, but it was the first offering of Our Lord to His Father through the hands of a priest, the beginning of the New Law. He came not to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it.
First Day - The first gift is the one from which all of the others flow – the Partridge in a Pear Tree is a symbol of none other than Christ on the Cross. According to traditional bird lore, a mother partridge will pretend to be injured to lure a predator away from her young, risking her own life to save them. This is seen as an image of Christ, the Good Shepherd, who lays down His life for His sheep. And of course this bird is found in a tree, a fruit-bearing tree. Just as the Christmas tree in ancient tradition is a symbol of both the tree of life in the Garden of Eden and the Cross on which Our Lord redeemed us, we see a similar symbolism here. The song starts with and continually returns to the first day, to Christ's sacrifice on the Cross, which is the same sacrifice as the sacrifice of the Mass renewed each day because all of the other gifts flow from it.
