How many birds are in the 12 days of Christmas song?

There is a total of 184 birds in the 12 Days of Christmas.

What are the 4 calling birds in the 12 days of Christmas?

Two Turtle Doves were the Old and New Testament. Three French Hens stood for faith, hope and love. Four Calling Birds were the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

Why are there so many birds in the 12 days of Christmas song?

Aside from the famous partridge, he or she gives the narrator more doves, hens, “calling birds,” geese and swans than anyone really needs. The song’s 12-day theme is a religious reference, based on the biblical interval between Christ’s birth and the arrival of the Magi (aka three kings or wise men).

Is it Cally birds or calling birds?

And so the debate raged. As it turns out, our argument was for naught. Some basic research shows that, based on modern usage, both phrases are correct, though “colly birds” predates “calling birds” by more than a century.

What is the meaning of 5 golden rings?

5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the “Pentateuch,” which gives the history of man’s fall from grace. 6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation. 7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments. 8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes.

What does six geese a laying mean?

In the popular Christmas carol, ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’, six geese a-laying were delivered during the sixth day. With eggs symbolising new life and creation, the original meaning of the lyric supposedly refers to God’s creation of the world, which took six days to complete according to religious beliefs.

What does 9 Ladies Dancing mean?

the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit. 10 Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments. 11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles. 12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle’s Creed. The partridge in the pear tree, naturally, represents Jesus Christ.

What is a Calley bird?

“Colly bird?” It’s essentially a black bird, Armenti said Wednesday. Although both “calling” and “colly” have appeared in versions of the song, “colly,” which is derived from the Old English word for coal, predates “calling” by more than a century, he wrote.

How many colly birds are there in 12 days of Christmas?

While contemporary versions of “The 12 Days of Christmas” make reference to “calling birds,” earlier lyrics describe the gift differently. The song initially lists four “colly birds” and subsequent versions would change the spelling to “colley” and “collie” before evolving to today’s lyric.

Who wrote the 12 days of Christmas poem?

The modern text of the poem was popularized through Frederic Austin’s 1909 arrangement, The Twelve Days of Christmas: Traditional Song, which also gave us the common melody now used for the song (Gant, 171). In Austin’s text, the phrase in question becomes “four calling birds”: Austin, Frederic.

Why are they called the 12 days of Christmas birds?

They are named, Rasmussen notes, after their unique call, “turr turr.” The birds were plentiful when “The 12 Days of Christmas” first appeared. Both hunting and habitat loss have driven down their numbers in the years since.

Is ‘the 12 days of Christmas’ the longest Christmas song ever?

It may not be the catchiest Christmas song (it’s certainly not my favorite), but “The 12 Days of Christmas” is almost certainly the longest. Nearly two weeks of holiday presents makes for pages of lyrics and a tune that’s exhausting for carolers everywhere.