Twelve Days of Christmas

Even if Christmas is already over, there are more Yuletide songs coming your way!

The Twelve Days of Christmas, and the associated evenings of those twelve days, called Twelve-tide, begin on the eve of Christmas Day (December 25) through the morning of Epiphany (January 6). Meanwhile, the evenings associated with the twelve days begin on the night before the specified day. The first night of Christmas is December 25–26 and Twelfth Night is January 5–6. The Twelfth Day of Christmas is January 6. This period is also known as Christmastide.

The song, The Twelve Days of Christmas is an English Christmas carol, although evidence suggests that if may have Frnch origins. It details a series of increasingly grandiose gifts given on each of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Adding up the gifts given daily, a total of 364 gifts have been given by the "true love" by the twelfth day.

Each verse of the popular carol is built on top of the previous. Such a song is called a cumulative song.

Over the years, some misinterpretations have crept into the English-language version. The fourth day's gift is often sung as four calling birds. It was however, originally four colly (or collie) birds, another word for a blackbird (from the word coal). The fifth day's gift, five golden rings is not jewelry but is actually five ring-necked birds such as the ring-necked pheasant. Thus, the pattern of the first seven gifts all being birds is noticed if these errors are corrected.


On the first day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
A partridge in a pear tree.

On the second day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the third day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the fourth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the fifth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Five golden rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the sixth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the seventh day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the eighth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the ninth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the tenth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the eleventh day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the twelfth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Twelve drummers drumming,
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!