What Are the 12 Days of Christmas?

“The 12 Days of Christmas” song chronicles the Christmas gifts presented to the singer by their true love. The gifts become more numerous and extravagant as the days proceed.

The earliest known written version of “The 12 Days of Christmas” appeared in a children’s book, “Mirth With-out Mischief,” published in 1780. However, some historians believe the carol is much older, originating in medieval France.

The lyrics to the 12 Days of Christmas have undergone some changes over the years. Some versions include “bears a-baiting” and “ships a-sailing.” Furthermore, the four calling birds originally were “colly” birds, old English slang meaning “black as coal,” a reference to blackbirds.

And all those verses? They were meant to be challenging. “The 12 Days of Christmas” was conceived as a children’s memory game. Any singer who muffed the lyrics owed a “forfeit” to the other players, such as a kiss, a favor or a piece of candy.

Eventually, in 1909, English composer Frederic Austin set down the words and melody and added the tune and tempo change in the verse “five go-old rings.”

For those who need a refresher, the gifts presented during the 12 Days of Christmas are as follows:

1. Partridge in a pear tree

2. Turtle doves

3. French hens

4. Calling birds

5. Gold rings

6. Geese a-laying

7. Swans a-swimming

8. Maids a-milking

9. Ladies dancing

10. Lords a-leaping

11. Pipers piping

12. Drummers drumming

Several misconceptions surround “The 12 Days of Christmas,” particularly when those 12 days actually occur. Based on holiday advertising, you might believe they are the days leading up to Christmas, but you would be wrong.

Advent describes the days of preparation before Christmas. The 12 days of Christmas refer to the period between Christmas Day and Epiphany, January 6, when the Wise Men were said to have found their way to the infant Jesus.

The days following Christmas were a time of rejoicing for Christians in medieval Europe, who even took a break from work. A number of religious feast days fall during the 12-day Christmas season. Each was observed with religious services, followed by festivals and, literally, feasts.

After not eating meat, eggs or cheese for the four weeks of Advent, people must have been overjoyed to see serving tables filled with sumptuous roasted meats, pies, puddings and bread.

Certain traditions also became part of these feast days.

On the Feast of St. Stephen, December 26, churches opened their alms boxes and distributed donated money to the poor. This practice may have set the precedent for the Boxing Day holiday, which became popular in England during Queen Victoria's reign.

This feast day was followed on December 27 by the Feast of St. John, who is said to have miraculously survived drinking poisoned wine. This legend gave rise to the tradition of “wassailing.” Popular in Tudor England, wassail was a communal drink made with hot ale or cider, sugar, spices and apples.

December 28 was Childermas, or the Feast of the Holy Innocents, when children might be in charge of the house for a day.

Then came December 31, New Year’s Eve, a day for parlor games and sports. There might also be Frost Fairs, archery competitions and football games. January 1, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, was a day for gift-giving.

Celebrations peaked on January 5, or Twelfth Night, with theatrical performances, games and banquets. There might have been a Twelfth Night cake with a pair of coins or beans baked inside. Finders were named the King and Queen of the Bean.

Epiphany, January 6, celebrated the visit of the Three Wise Men. This day was marked by church services and a final feast to close the Christmas season.

When gifts from a true love include an aviary full of birds, an orchard of pear trees and a ballroom’s worth of dancing and leaping lords and ladies, you might be forgiven for wondering if the song holds some hidden meaning.

Short answer: It does not. At least, the lyrics hold no religious significance. Rumors occasionally circulate that the Christmas song originated as a secret catechism created when Catholicism was outlawed in England.

Stories say that the partridge represents Jesus Christ and the two turtle doves depict the Old and New Testaments, for instance. However, the claims don’t hold up and appear to be a modern invention.

On the other hand, bird lovers may be amused by the argument in Bird Spot that all the gifts in the song refer to domestic or exotic game birds, in keeping with the medieval tradition of Christmas feasting. In their version, grey herons are the “lords a-leaping” and “pipers piping” are sandpipers.

Another question concerning “The 12 Days of Christmas” song is whether or not the gifts are cumulative. Supposing the singer receives a partridge in a pear tree the first day, a pair of turtle doves the second day and so on, 12 gifts have been given by the twelfth day.

Many people favor the absurd alternative that the gifts multiply daily. In other words, a partridge in a pear tree is given on Day 1, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree on Day 2; three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree on Day 3, etcetera. This multiplies the gifts exponentially.

If you take the cumulative approach, the number of gifts presented by Twelfth Night equals 364 birds, rings, maids, ladies, lords, pipers and drummers, a gift for nearly every day of the year, presented within 12 winter mornings.   

Truelove obviously had deep pockets because this show of affection doesn’t come cheap.

Every year since 1983, PNC Financial Services has published the Christmas Price Index. This somewhat tongue-in-cheek report calculates what all the gift items referenced in the Christmas carol would cost based on current market rates.

In 2023, the lords a-leaping were the most extravagant gift, at $14,539.20. Conversely, the eight maids a-milking could be hired at a bargain rate of $58, reflecting the flatlined Federal Minimum Wage. Furthermore, “supply shortages” drove up the cost of rare turtle doves by 25%.

The cost of all the gifts combined comes to a grand total of $201,972.66, up 2.5% from 2022. New figures for this year are expected in late November.

When something is woven deeply into our culture, it’s bound to have its imitators. Several notable and amusing versions of the holiday song have been performed over the years, including “The 12 Pains of Christmas” by the Bob Rivers Comedy Corp, a perennially popular acapella tune by Straight No Chaser and comedian Jeff Foxworthy’s “Redneck Christmas.”