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The Twelve Days of Christmas

Friday, December 14, 2007

The 12 Days of Christmas - zlythern
The first time i hear this song, i hardly can understand each and every day of the presents being sung. More worse, i hear the song in the Disney version ! Which Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck (his voice was the worst :P can hardly understand what he is saying), Goofy, and all others, each with a different voice and accent sing the song ! The worst of all, i was still a little kid, minimum English vocabulary, don't have an English dictionary, and still no Internet access back at my hometown in Indonesia :P

Heh, what a story that is :D I always chuckle when i hear and remember this song :P

Anyway, now with all the access to Internet, world's largest knowledge database, now i know the whole lyrics of the song :D And even the stories behind it too :)

There are different stories regarding to The Twelve Days of Christmas. To quote some of it:

The Twelve Days of Christmas as a celebration and festival is old and steeped in traditions from Christian cultures around the world. For many, the idea of the 12 days as a length of celebration is based on a sequence of verses in the Holy Bible (Matthew 2:1-12), and a belief that it may have taken 12 days for the three kings (also called wise men or magi) to travel to Bethlehem. The number 12 is also symbolic of the 12 Tribes of Israel, who received Christ before the Three Kings, the Gentiles came to pay him homage.

[source: Wikipedia]

During the Middle Ages, Christmas celebrations in Europe were elevated to new heights when people adopted the custom of giving 12 gifts to loved ones, one every day from Christmas to Epiphany. From the grandest of lords to the poorest peasants, the tradition was celebrated with great enthusiasm.

[source: howstuffworks]

So, incase some of you still don't know the lyrics, here it goes

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" Lyrics

1. On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:
A partridge in a pear tree.

2. On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:
Two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.

3. On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:
Three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.

4. On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:
Four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and partridge in a pear tree.

5. On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:
Five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.

6. On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:
Six geese a-laying ...

7. On the seven day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:
Seven swans a-swimming ...

8. On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:
Eight maids a-milking ...

9. On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:
Nine ladies dancing ...

10. On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:
Ten lords a-leaping ...

11. On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:
Eleven pipers piping ...

12. On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:
Twelve drummers drumming ...

After knowing the lyrics, i feel it's kinda weird, and apparently the Taking Back Sunday feels the same too ;)


Oh, and howstuffworks have a nice Christmas Game for you to print out the pdf version, and have it with your family ;) It's called Find The Twelve Days of Christmas :)

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Efendi
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