The Mysteries of ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’

Welcome to The 12 Days of Christmas Songs: an attempt to uncover the forgotten history of some of the most memorable festive tunes. From December 14 through 25, we’ll be tackling one secular song and one holy song each day.

For a crash course in the strange and ever-changing nature of holiday traditions, head to for “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” There, you will find that the exact origins of the counting carol are murky, but probably involve French folk songs for the New Year. You will find no agreement about the meaning of the 12 individual gifts—the partridge in a pair tree, the ladies dancing—though you will find speculation; one says the song was invented to allow persecuted Catholics to practice the catechism in secret. You will find a staggering number of variants in the kinds of objects mentioned, the number of items, and even the syllables in some verses, depending on where and when the song is sung. You will learn that “four calling birds” were once “four colly birds,” being an old regional English word for “black.”