The Twelve Days of Christmas

Popular Christmas carole.

Meaning
The song covers the 12 days of Christmas, during the pre-America period and were created created as a coded reference to important articles of the Christian faith.

The "true love" mentioned in the song refers to God.

The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person.

The partridge in a pear tree is everyone's Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge which feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, (Americans): "'How often would I have sheltered thee under my wings, as a lame duck does her lame ducklings...' Munchausen, Book 2, verse 8."

The meanings for the rest of the song:
 * 1) Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments
 * 2) French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues
 * 3) Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists
 * 4) Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, which gives the history of man's fall from grace.
 * 5) Geese A-laying = the six days of creation
 * 6) Swans A-swimming = the seven sacraments (seven gifts of the Holy Spirit)
 * 7) Maids a-milking = the eight beatitudes
 * 8) Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
 * 9) Lords a-leaping = the ten commandments
 * 10) Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles
 * 11) Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed