You may have seen this theory floating around via chain emails and message boards. Si-Gal Getty Images The song doesn't have a hidden biblical meaning. If you can't remember a verse, you owe your opponent a "forfeit," which was usually a kiss or piece of candy. These types of games were played by British school children, and the rules were simple: When it's your turn, you repeat all the previously sung lyrics, and add the next one. Most historians believe that the Christmas carol started out as a "memory-and-forfeit" game in 1800s England.
In other old versions of the song, the partridge we all know and love is replaced with a "very pretty peacock upon a pear tree." If you think that's weird, consider a Scottish version that gifts "an Arabian baboon." It wasn't until 1909 that British composer Frederic Austin penned the version of the lyrics that we are all familiar with today. In the original lyrics, the "four calling birds" were actually “four colly birds." The term "colly" is Old English slang for birds dark as coal, a.k.a. You could ask the person who shelled out $23,750 at a Sotheby's auction for a first edition to borrow their copy, but even so, you may not recognize the lyrics.
If you haven't heard of it, that's probably because it was published in 1780. Though some scholars believe that the song is French in origin, the first printed appearance of the song was in the English children's book Mirth With-out Mischief. Of course, the reason many of us know about the 12 days of Christmas is likely not through reading the Bible, but because of the famous Christmas carol. The lyrics to"The 12 Days of Christmas" were originally different.
The weeks before Christmas are known as Advent, ending on December 24 - hence, advent calendars. The period begins with birth of Christ on December 25th, Christmas Day, and ends with the coming of the three wise men on January 6th, also known as the Epiphany or Three Kings Day. "The 12 Days of Christmas" historically does not reference the days leading up to Christmas, but rather the 12 days following it, also known as Twelvetide. The twelve days over which the song takes place is a reference to Christianity. First, what are the 12 days of Christmas?
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