12 Days of Christmas

[SMHW]

I didn’t make myself clear. There’s nothing that this code supposedly teaches that would be Catholic enough to hide in code. Most of the “decodings” that I’ve found show that it teaches basic Christian facts that even Anglicans would not have disputed.

I’ve always wondered about that…

Regardless of whether or not the supposed hidden meanings are true, they are teachings that Anglicans also believe. In fact many of the teachings are ones that even more “puritan” Christians share.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

So then is it simply because there are twelve days from Christmas and epiphany? Someone else said it may be symbolic of 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles, etc. There must be a reason why they chose 12, considering that Jesus was not actually born on that day and there may not have been twelve days between these two events. I have not been able to find it.

I have heard that Jewish tradition held that a prophet died on the anniversary of either his conception or his birth. Most believed that Jesus died on March 25, but some held out for April 6. Thus. they put the Annunciation on March 25 and Christmas on December 25. As a sop to the minority they also celebrated January 6 as Little Christmas.

I have no idea whether there is any truth in this.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

I didn’t make myself clear. There’s nothing that this code supposedly teaches that would be Catholic enough to hide in code. Most of the “decodings” that I’ve found show that it teaches basic Christian facts that even Anglicans would not have disputed.

Someone once stated that the saddest sight is the brutal murder of a beautiful theory by an ugly gang of facts.

 

[oneGODoneCHURCH]

I didn’t make myself clear. There’s nothing that this code supposedly teaches that would be Catholic enough to hide in code. Most of the “decodings” that I’ve found show that it teaches basic Christian facts that even Anglicans would not have disputed.

Then all we are left with is a really bad and annoying song.

 

[DaveBj]

Then all we are left with is a really bad and annoying song.

Not when the Muppets sing it.

“Fi-i-i-ive go-o-o-old ri-i-i-ings, BA-DUM DUM DUM. . .”

 

[marytk]

So then is it simply because there are twelve days from Christmas and epiphany? Someone else said it may be symbolic of 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles, etc. There must be a reason why they chose 12, considering that Jesus was not actually born on that day and there may not have been twelve days between these two events. I have not been able to find it.

I have heard another reason for the twelve days. The theory is that when much of the western World went to the Gregorian Calendar that moved things 12 days (they were making up for all those centuries that should not have been leap years.) That is why the Western Church celebrated Christmas 12 days earlier than the Eastern Church. I guess the idea is that they then celebrated Epiphany on the Eastern Christmas. It seems to add up right.

I had liked the 12 days secret Catholic story. But, I did wonder what was so secret about all those wonderful truths for each number. I guess Seven Sacraments was pretty Catholic. Twelve Apostles or tribes wouldn’t be secret,

 

[adopted_heir]

I had heard the ‘secret teaching’ theory long before I got the email, as well. My thought is: at the time in which it is purported to have been used to teach catechesis in secret, the celebration of Christmas itself was illegal; and, the name of the song itself, The Twelve Days of Christmas, is the exact name of the Catholic season. Is it a coincidence that this song, which may (or may not) have significance for catechism have symbols for specific catechetical ideas AND the exact number of days celebrated from one forbidden Catholic feast to its following forbidden feast? I’d read the Snopes article; it seemed kind of weak. IMBAO.

 

[Vico]

i have heard another reason for the twelve days. The theory is that when much of the western world went to the gregorian calendar that moved things 12 days (they were making up for all those centuries that should not have been leap years.) that is why the western church celebrated christmas 12 days earlier than the eastern church. I guess the idea is that they then celebrated epiphany on the eastern christmas. It seems to add up right.

I had liked the 12 days secret catholic story. But, i did wonder what was so secret about all those wonderful truths for each number. I guess seven sacraments was pretty catholic. Twelve apostles or tribes wouldn’t be secret,

December 25 was the birth of the Sun god since December 24 was the shortest day of the year. This was in 34 B.C. when the Julian Calendar was created. But this shortest day was December 12 when the Gregorian Calendar of 1582 was adopted, moving it to December 22 Gregorian. The 12 days of Christmas were celebrated in Tudor England (1465-1603) before the Gregorian calendar was adopted by England (which was in 1752).

Relative Positions today
[c = Christmas, e = Epiphany, t = Theophany]

c _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ e _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ c _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ t
2 2 2 2 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
5 6 7 8 9 0 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

 

[Monte_RCMS]

Certain numbers such as 12 and 40 have had special significance because of Old Testament precedence.

And they recur throughout Christian “history”.

I know that the History Channel is not the world’s greatest authority on Christianity, but sometimes they allude to how Jesus’ forty day fast relates back to wandering in the desert for forty years. None of that was an accident, by the way; God set it up that way.

 

[marytk]

I had heard the ‘secret teaching’ theory long before I got the email, as well. My thought is: at the time in which it is purported to have been used to teach catechesis in secret, the celebration of Christmas itself was illegal; and, the name of the song itself, The Twelve Days of Christmas, is the exact name of the Catholic season. Is it a coincidence that this song, which may (or may not) have significance for catechism have symbols for specific catechetical ideas AND the exact number of days celebrated from one forbidden Catholic feast to its following forbidden feast? I’d read the Snopes article; it seemed kind of weak. IMBAO.

Yeah I had thought of that too. At that time they didn’t like Christmas at all. Now if it had been in a time more like now where the secular celebration is really big but they decided to forbid any true meaning we might have to use secret codes in the holly jolly type of carols/