Op-ed: 

A Counting Song or Religious Truth

By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / Right Side Patriots on American Political Radio

It's that magical time of the year again as Christmas is fast approaching, and for five years in a row we at Right Side Patriots always honor the season with both Craig and I each writing an article pertaining to the holiday and presenting it on our radio show. Craig did his last week... titled The Liberals Guide to Christmas...and if you haven't read it yet please do for while it is quite snarky in nature its words surely do ring true.

Now it's my turn and I have decided to delve into the possible meaning behind the words of the song turned carol “The 12 Days of Christmas”...a carol many love but find quite disconcerting as the words on the surface seem to make no sense but do have an actual meaning to the faithful...a meaning that harks back to ages past. But before I turn this medieval what was a children's counting song into a parody of today's politically incorrect speak, let's delve into the song's history which truly might surprise many.

"The Twelve Days of Christmas” is a century's old song that originated in 1534 England, and was believed to have been written as a catechism lesson for Catholic children after King Henry VIII broke ties with Rome and started the Church of England. And why this break... because Pope Clement VII refused to grant the king an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

However, after the king's death Archbishop Thomas Cranmer was able to finalize said break by initiating doctrine changes that forever allied the Church of England with the Protestant Reformation. And with those changes came a banning of the open practice of Roman Catholicism throughout England. Started in 1558 and lasting until 1829, Roman Catholics were not only forbidden to practice their faith but were shunned and punished...with some even being put to death...if caught doing so.

But Roman Catholicism lived on in so-called “Merry old England” but in secret of course. Veiled and shrouded in masked musings with words spoken in ever so hushed tones became the order of the day as it was the only way that Catholicism could survive in England during those dark times. And survive it did via Roman Catholic tenets and doctrine being passed down from parents to their children...passed down but in a way so as not to let on what was really being done.

And what seemed to be on the surface just a simple children's counting song about animals and such...a song whose words could easily be remembered...was to believers a song not only to be sung but to be learned from...a song that in reality was anything but simple for the song that became a carol was a child's lesson in the tenets of the Roman Catholic faith.

And so the song...now a carol...that was actually the doctrine of the Holy Roman Catholic Church...catechism if you will...was born and is still sung and beloved to this day. And yet it remains a carol with two meanings...one meaning has it being just another oh-so pretty Christmas carol and the other meaning has it deeply embedded in believers faith via code words and numerical alludings that are key to the Catholic faith and it's age old traditions.

And tradition one according to the Holy Roman Catholic Church is that Christmas celebrations are to last twelve days, beginning with Jesus' birth on Christmas Day (December 25th) and ending on Epiphany Day (January 6th)...the day upon which the Magi visited the baby Jesus bearing three gifts...gifts having both a symbolic and a spiritual meaning. And with the gift of gold being the symbol of both divinity and kingship on earth; the gift of frankincense being a symbol of deity, holiness and righteousness; and with the gift of myrrh being a symbol of bitterness, suffering, affliction, and ultimate death, the life of Jesus the man and the ultimate death of Jesus the Son of God was forever foretold in the gifts of the Three Wise Men.

But like I said said before “The Twelve Days of Christmas” as written was a song based upon numbers...numbers having a religious connotation to believers whose meaning had to be hidden at the time it was anonymously written. So let's break down both the numbers and the words so we can truly understand the theological lessons many believed were secretly being taught.

But first a little side note...

We all know the gifts “my true love” sent over the twelve days...at least at face value we do...as in “A Partridge in a Pear Tree; Two Turtle Doves; Three French Hens; Four Calling Birds; Five Golden Rings; Six Geese a Laying; Seven Swans a Swimming; Eight Maids a Milking; Nine Ladies Dancing; Ten Lords a Leaping; Eleven Pipers Piping; and Twelve Drummers Drumming”...which in today's economic market would have a current face value of $34,558.65 according to the PNC Financial Services Group who has been tracking the carol's price cost numbers for over 30 years. But that is not the total cost for each of the gifts, except for the "twelve drummers drumming," is repeated multiple times as per the carol's actual wording, bringing the dollar cost of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” gifts up to a whopping $156,507.88.

Me thinks the religious aspects of the gifts is a much better bargain if you will.

Now let's look at the actual meaning and corresponding numbers...as per believers and the faithful...behind each gift in relation to Catholic doctrine and let's start with the twelve times repeated words “True Love.” “True love”...the giver of the gifts would be God the Father with the “partridge in a pear tree” being His son Jesus Christ on the cross. The “two turtle doves” refer to the Old and New Testaments, while the “three French hens” stand for faith, hope and love, which are the primary virtues taught in the New Testament.

The “four calling birds” would represent the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, with the “five golden rings” heralding the first five books of the Old Testament. The “six geese a-laying” refer to the six days of creation, and the “seven swans a-swimming” represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (prophecy, serving, exhortation, teaching, contribution, leadership and mercy) while some others say the seven swans are a reference to the seven sacraments (Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Anointing of the sick, Marriage and Holy orders).

The “eight maids a-milking” are the eight beatitudes, with the “nine ladies dancing” being the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control). The “ten lords a-leaping” stand for the Ten Commandments, while the “eleven pipers piping” represent the 11 faithful disciples. And lastly, the “twelve drummers drumming” symbolize the 12 points of doctrine from the ancient Apostles’ Creed.

And while to many this carol remains just that...a carol to be sung at Christmastime whose pretty yet oddly chosen words have a deeply religious meaning to those of faith while at the same time it is just pretty sung words to others. Though I personally cannot tell you which side of that particular coin is the truth, I can say that “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is a classic carol born from Roman Catholic persecution, and yet in its very ambiguity and its hauntingly repeated words it is a carol that will be around for many years to come.

And with that I will also say that a carol such as “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” especially with its particular numerical patterning as well as its irregular syllable context, has also been subject to parody over the many years. And while some might think it quite sacrilegious to turn a time-honored carol into a political statement of sorts, I feel that a parody of this carol is but a rightful slap in the face to those who abide by the monstrosity known as political correctness. So here is my version of this Christmas classic and it's my gift to the politically correct everywhere...said with a smirk and a wink of course.

The Twelve Days of a Trump Christmas...in descending order due to time and word constraints...LOL. On the Twelfth day of Christmas the 'talking heads' gave to me Twelve libs imploding; Eleven fake news stories; Ten U.N. screwings; Nine whores a-lying; Eight charges filed; Seven caravans coming; Six new subpoenas; Five tweets from Trump; Four Comey leaks; Three swamp rats; Two summits more; and an 'Ocasio'nal-Cortez faux-pas.

Merry Christmas everyone...and to all a “good night.”

Copyright @ 2018 Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / All Rights Reserved.

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For more political commentary please visit my RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS partner Craig Andresen's blog The National Patriot to read his latest article Divide, and Be Conquered.

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RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...LIVE!

Today, Friday, December 14th from 7 to 9pm EST on American Political Radio, RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen and Diane Sori discuss 'A Counting Song or Religious Truth'; 'Divide, and Be Conquered'; and important news of the day.

Hope you can tune in at: http://listen.samcloud.com/w/73891/American-Political-Radio#history...or on Tune-In at: https://tunein.com/radio/American-Political-Radio-s273246/