Christmas Carol History

Maybe you knew this, I did not:

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled.
What in the world do leaping lords, French hens,
swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out
of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?


From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were
not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone
during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.
It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning
plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each
element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality
which the children could remember.

-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.


-The Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.

-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish.'Merry (Twelve Days of) Christmas Everyone

Blackfeet Indian Grass Dance

Clothing was a major part of the Blackfeet Indian culture. It represented them, their beliefs, and most of all, nature. For example, a circle sewed on blue represented the sun in the sky. Green symbolized grass, and red circles were mountain ash berries. There were special clothes for certain occasions such as ceremonies and dances. When an Indian from another tribe was captured, the Blackfeet would often steal his clothes and copy them, making it their own design, and using it as their own. Men wore native- tanned buckskin garments, with porcupine quilled shirts. Chiefs often wore elaborated head dresses, with white leggings and beaded moccasins.



Women are very important in the Blackfeet Indian tribe, and this is represented in their style of clothing. They are considered to be the most holy of people. They often wore stringed, beaded dresses with assortments of bells, beads, shells, and even elk tusks, which were very rare. On the ordinary working day, they would generally wear a loose fitting gingham dress, about three feet wide and knee length. The sides of the dress were frayed and often beaded.



The Blackfeet were known for their traditional and unique dancing. In the 1800’s, their dances usually symbolized something from nature, for instance the animals, birds, flowers and stars, but today the dances are mostly fancy steps with no meaning at all. There were two major dances, social and ceremonial. Dancing usually involved singing and drumming. Some of the most famous dances were the Pipe dance, the Blacktail Deer dance, and the Medicine Pipe dance.



Today there are still Blackfeet in Montana. Many have lost their heritage, customs and religion but there are a few who keep the true spirit of the Blackfeet alive. Most of the Blackfeet live on a reservation located in Northwest Montana along the Rocky Mountains. Its headquarters are located in Browning, Montana. The reservation is one and a half million acres and is home to 9,000 enrolled members and another 7,000 members living on or around the reservation.