12 Drummers Drumming & Other Catholic Connections Quiz

Answer: Jesus

Between 1558 and 1829, English Roman Catholics could not practice their faith publicly. An anonymous person is said to have written this carol as a catechism song. There are two levels of meaning. The first is the superficial meaning about a surfeit of gifts. The second level is a purported hidden meaning known only to members of the Roman Catholic church. Each element in the carol has a key word for a religious reality which children could easily recall.

The partridge is Jesus Christ. He is aptly represented as a partridge, a bird which will pretend to be injured in order to draw predators to itself and away from its young. By offering Himself on the Cross, "He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler." (KJV Psalms 91:4)

The pear tree is the Cross itself. When King David needed to free his people from the Philistines, the Lord told him, "And when thou shalt hear the sound of one going in the tops of the pear trees, then shalt thou join battle: for then will the Lord go out before thy face to strike the army of the Philistines." (2 Samuel 5:24) (Note in some versions the "pear tree" is listed as "Mulberry tree" or a "Balsam tree".

Answer: Old and New Testament

The two turtle doves represent the Old and New Testaments: they look to each other with love and admiration, and they complement each other.

It should be noted that it is by no means universally accepted that the carol is a catechism. This theory has many detractors. For the purposes of this quiz, however, we will consider it to be one.

Answer: French

The three French hens are said to represent the three theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity.

Theological virtues are virtues associated in Christian literature with "salvation resulting from the grace of God". Virtues are traits or qualities which encourage one to live a life within a moral code. Traditionally, these have been called faith, hope, and charity. They are first mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13 as reported by Paul, who also noted that charity is the most important.

Answer: Simon

The four calling birds are said to represent the four Evangelists - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These evangelists dispersed the good news of the Gospel over a wide area and audience. According to Psalms 19:4 (KJV), "Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun".

Note: In some versions, "colly" is used, a synonym of black. Hence, four "Colly Birds" would be four blackbirds.

Answer: Yes

The first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch, are represented by five golden rings. These first books relate the Jewish understanding of their history, from the creation of man to the time of Moses.

There are some theories that the first seven verses are about birds, and the "five golden rings" refers not to pieces of jewellery, but to five ring-necked pheasants. If correct, the pattern of the first seven gifts all being types of birds is more unified.

Answer: Geese

Six geese a-laying represent the six days of creation. The eggs of the geese hold the promise of life to follow which, in turn, represents the expansion and ongoing achievements of God's creation. (Is it a coincidence that goose eggs would have been the largest known bird egg at the time the song was written, about 1780?)

Genesis, Chapter 1, Verse 31 (KJV) states, "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day".

Answer: Finalisation

2 Kings 5:10 (KJV) "And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean".

There are seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, which were initiated by Jesus to be kept by Church. Sacraments are visible rites giving of the grace of God to all those who "receive them with the proper disposition".

The list of sacraments is organised into three groups. The first group is the sacraments of initiation which consist of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist. The second group is the sacraments of healing, consisting of Penance and Anointing of the Sick. The third group are sacraments of service, which are Holy Orders and Matrimony.

Answer: Blessed are the poor in health

The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus. These emphasise the moral good to be undertaken in society.

The Beatitudes are eight blessings espoused by Jesus within the Sermon on the Mount, according to the Gospel of Matthew. Each is a proverb or a proclamation. Four of the same blessings also appear in the Sermon on the Plain in the Gospel of Luke. In this description, the four blessings are followed by four woes which are similar to the same blessings proclaimed by Matthew.

According to Matthew, Chapter Five, the eight beatitudes are:
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 5:3)
Blessed are those who mourn: for they will be comforted. (5:4)
Blessed are the meek: for they will inherit the earth. (5:5)
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they will be filled. (5:6)
Blessed are the merciful: for they will be shown mercy. (5:7)
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they will see God. (5:8)
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they will be called children of God. (5:9)
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (5:10)
Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (5:11-12)

Answer: True

There are two schools of thought about what nine ladies dancing means. Some believe this phrase means the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control, while others believe it represents nine choirs of angels. According to Alexis Reyes' interpretation:- "As a dancer is swift and elegant, so do the Angels of God execute His orders, moving to the music of Heaven".

There is no ambiguity about "ten" and "eleven". Those who believe the song is a Roman Catholic Catechism also believe that "Ten lords a leaping" are the Ten Commandments and "Eleven pipers piping" are the first eleven faithful Apostles.

Answer: The number of points of belief in the Apostle's Creed

The Apostles' Creed is a statement of Christian belief that is used by a number of Christian church denominations for both liturgical and catechetical reasons. It is used principally by the Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican churches, but it is also used by Presbyterians, Methodists and Congregationalists. The first version was probably written by Ambrose in AD 390.

There are many versions of the Apostles' Creed. This is the Ecumenical version:

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

It is plausible that "The Twelve Days of Christmas" has been confused with a song called "A New Dial" written about 1625 In this song, religious meanings are attributed to each of the twelve days of Christmas . It has a structure similar to the memory and forfeits structure of "The Twelve Days of Christmas". For example:
"What are they that are but one?
We have one God alone
In heaven above sits on His throne.
What are they which are but two?
Two testaments, the old and new..."