ES - Fwd: FW: Leaping Lords and French Hens

[Vicki Marsh]

Xene here:


>From the "The Shorter New Oxford Book of Carols",  Ed. by Keyte and Parrott,
Oxford University Press, New York, 1993, p. 229,

 "The song is found in different forms in broadsides from the eighteenth
century onward, and derives from a traditional Twelfth Night forfeits game
in which each person was required to recite a list of objects named by the
previous player and add one more.  The tune (one of many) reached its modern
standard form only in 1909, with the inspired (and copyrighted) addition of
the phrase to which 'five gold rings' is sung.....the pear tree is probably
from the french 'perdrix' (partidge); the cally- (or colly) birds are
blackbirds, the gold rings possibly a corruption of 'goldspinks (Scottish
dialect for goldfinches) or 'guilderer" (a gulder-cock is a turkey)."

We now sing four calling birds for "four cally-birds".  The version in this
book is attributed to someone named Husk written in 1864 and it has the five
gold rings.


I don't know about the Elizabethan Protestants (I'll check with Llywelyn),
but the Puritans did *not* celebrate Christmas.  I believe it was illegal to
celebrate it in certain Puritan townships in the 17th and early 18th century
in America.  At least, on HGTV, they had a show about the history of
Christmas that showed a printed notice from that time with the law and
punishment for commiting the crime of celebrating Christmas.  I realize that
is tertiary documentation at best, but there it is....

>From the Laurel corner.....

Xene

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-elfsea at ansteorra.org [mailto:owner-elfsea at ansteorra.org]On
Behalf Of Christine Huse
Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2000 11:50 AM
To: elfsea at ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: ES - Fwd: FW: Leaping Lords and French Hens


I don't know if that is true or not, but it could very well make sense.
After all one of the lines that are repeated in the song is, "my true love
gave to me". I think that with this translation that "my true love" would be
God. With Protestantism being firmly in place during this time period and
Catholicism being a deadly religion to practice, it could very well be true.

However on the other hand (not being Protestant myself), why would a
Protestant *not* have written the song? The translation seems to be beliefs
that all Christian religions share.

My $.02,
Maria



>Anyone know if this is true or not?
>
>Borek
>********************
>
>There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world
>do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge
>who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?
>
>Today, I found out that From 1558 until 1829,  Roman Catholics in England
>were not permitted to practice their faith openly.
>
>Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young
>Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden
>meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol
>has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.
>
>The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
>
>Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments
>
>Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
>
>The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
>
>The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of
>the
>Old Testament.
>
>The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
>
>Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy
>Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership,
>and Mercy.
>
>The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
>
>Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy,
>Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self
>Control.
>
>The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.
>
>The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
>
>The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the
>Apostles' Creed.
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