The 12 Days of Christmas Controversy

Some people are positive that today is the first day of the 12 Days of Christmas... Partridge in a Pear Tree and all that. To them- this will be an awkward read that might get them a bit 'het up'. Nonetheless, we will carry forward.

If you are unfamiliar with the song- which has exasperated school music teachers and parents alike since 1780, please enjoy this most modern twist:

OK! Now that you are up to date- time to tell it like it is: The 12 Days of Christmas do NOT start today.

They start on December 25 (Christmas Day) and continue until January 5 (aka Epiphany).

OK? Still with me? If that blows your mind wait until you hear some of the other things I've found out about it. (Spoiler alert: strip poker. I am NOT kidding!)

HOW Many Days?!

Scotland's the Yule Days is a similar song with 13 days. It is still heavy with birds (I have never received a bird as ANY gift), the gifts include a bull, corn, and a baboon, and the gifts come from the king.

The Faroe Islands version goes on for 15 days: no birds save 2 geese and a feather, and adds dishes and cheese (because who wouldn't love 14 rounds of cheese?!)

Sweden sensibly stops at 12- but NUMBER TWELVE is a MOUTHFULL: "twelve churches, each with twelve altars, each with twelve priests, each with twelve capes, each with twelve coin-purses, each with twelve daler inside." (a daler is not from Dr Who: a daler is a silver coin.) That's 2,985,984 dalers in all. I don't know the exchange rate, but THAT'S a GIFT!

What About the Partridge and the Pear Tree?

Both the titular bird and its tree differ according to the interpreter and the year.

• In 1840 and 1882 versions there was NO partridge kicking off the gifts! (I KNOW, right?) The song, instead, called out the gift as 'Part of a juniper tree'. I don't know about you, but this really raises some questions: mostly around "Who has the rest of the tree?" and "What do I do with part of a tree?" and "What part of the tree?" and "If he didn't want to be part of the gift exchange he just should have said so instead of this..." But then again- I've been told I'm a hard person to buy for... so...
• 1892 gave us the bird when they made the lyrics "Very pretty peacock upon a pear tree". I certainly hope that there was also a different tune used then, as that is much to much of a mouthful for the kids to garble out.
• 1905 lost their minds and got ride of the bird again singing "and the part of a June apple tree". The rhythm is correct, but there we are splitting up the trees again.

You are probably wishing I was with you right now so you could ask: "Why was juniper involved, anyways?" I am glad you asked. It's because people passed along these songs orally (hey! that means listening to someone sing it as a way to learn it) and depending on the accent of the person you learn from the words could change. This also explains where a part of the tree comes from.

Say this phrase out loud, putting emphasis on the word parts in bold "partridge in a pear tree". It should sound something like 'ginapear' tree. Which would make that first gift 'part ginapear tree' or part of a juniper tree.

I don't know why we don't question the words in songs. But if we did we might not have had WAP, and who wants to live in a world like that? (Pro tip: if you don't already know the song don't google it. You are welcome.)

But- You Mentioned Strip Poker, Didn't You?

Yes I did. I wondered if you'd remember that.

The original purpose of the song was to be a 'memory and forfeits game'. That's where the players have to perfectly recite, from memory, a string of words, phrases, or song lyrics without making any mistake- kind of a musical version of 'telephone'- or else they need to pay a penalty.

In the early years it most resembled 'Spin the Bottle', as the most popular forfeit was a kiss. By 1898 the mistake was usually an item of clothing that had to be 'redeemed' by the owners at the end of the game. Thus the Strip Poker reference, and my wild guess is that the redemption was probably a kiss... unless it was used as a fundraiser because there weren't any end-of-the-year emails to raise money back then.

Battle of the Versions

The song has been performed in school recitals for years, and also recorded by a plethora of performers. Here are a few: let me know in the comments which are your favorites.

There are many, many, references online to the song, timing, and traditions. I hope you enjoyed this and learned something new.

Comments always welcomed!