The Fifth Day of Christmas
29/12/15 05:20
I’ve heard lots of stories about the hidden meanings in the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Probably a few of them stretch the truth a little bit. Online, you will find bloggers and commentators who insist that the song is a Catholic catechism. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the four calling birds are the four gospels, the six geese are the six days of creation, the eleven pipers piping are the eleven faithful disciples, and so on. One story I read claimed that the reason that the catechism was hidden in symbolic language was that it dates to the period from the 16th through the 19th centuries when it was illegal to be Catholic in England. One of the problems with that story, however, is that there is nothing in the purported meanings of the song that is particularly Roman Catholic. Protestants believe in Jesus, the gospels, the creation and the disciples. And none of the stories that I have seen have given any original sources for their information.
It seems more likely that the song is just a fun counting song that entertains children and adults alike. I don’t know when the song was first published but it appears in “Mirth without Mischief,” published in 1780 and “The Nursery Rhymes of England,” published in 1842.
It is curious that the first verses all refer to birds, while verses eight through twelve are groups of entertainers. Well, minds a milking probably isn’t really entertainment like ladies dancing, lords leaping, pipers piping and drummers drumming. And then five golden rings brings to mind hand jewelry more than a bird. The five golden rings may, however, be a reference to the yellowish rings around a pheasant’s neck or to “goldspinks,” an old name for the goldfinch.
Counting birds at Christmas is a tradition that goes back quite a while. The official Christmas bird count began in 1900 which makes this year’s event the 116th count according to the Audubon Society’s web site. Christmas bird counts are conducted between December 14 and January 5. Local counts are arranged by volunteers and amateurs are welcomed to participate in identifying and counting wild birds. There is a specific methodology to the Christmas Bird Count and in each location a particular strategy is developed to count all of the birds within a 15-mile wide circle. Birds can be counted by direct sight or by sound, if the counter is able to identify the species.
The count is one of several citizens science projects that allow for large amounts of data to be collected by enabling interested volunteers to participate in genuine scientific research. The bird counts are used to monitor the health of various populations of birds, check on habitat degradation and other factors.
The tradition of counting birds at Christmas dates to an earlier tradition, that of hunting birds during the Christmas holiday. So called “side hunts” were competitions aimed at testing the marksmanship of shooters. Participants competed at how many birds they could kill, regardless of whether they had any use for the carcasses or whether the birds were beneficial, beautiful or rare. These senseless hunts led to the degradation and even total destruction of some species of birds. In 1900, ornithologist Frank Chapman, founder of Bird-Lord (which became Audubon magazine), proposed counting birds on Christmas instead of killing them.
At our home we used to feed birds year round. Then there came a year when there was a bird disease that was attributed to a fungus that was found in bird seed. As instructed, we cleaned out our feeders to make sure that we weren’t contributing to the problem. I noticed that the birds were creatures of habit and came to the feeders even when they were empty of seed. Later I learned that birds can form dependencies on feeders and that once started the practice needs to be sustained as it becomes part of the feeding cycle of the birds. I still feed the birds a little bit, but no longer keep multiple feeders going year round. Putting out bird seed during the Christmas season seems to be a kind gesture, especially when the weather is cold. I put out seed yesterday for the birds and will keep feeding until the weather warms.
I also have my annual “natural bird feeders” in the form of a crop of sunflowers. I plant sunflowers each year and leave them for the birds. The pinion jays seem to really like the seeds and often descend in mass and clean out the entire crop in a few hours.
Watching the birds in the wild, however, remains the best treat. Instead of attracting birds with food that I put out, I prefer to learn where the birds naturally congregate and where I am likely to see them when walking in the woods.
Around here winter is a time with fewer species of birds. Many of our birds head south for the winter and enjoy warmer temperatures and more abundant food nearer the equator during this time of the year. That gives us the joy of watching for their return in the spring. The first tanager of the year is always a delight and a treat.
I’ve never taken the time to become an educated bird watcher. I don’t know the names of many of the birds that we see around here and I haven’t taken the time to learn all of the calls. I can identify a few species and I enjoy looking at the wide variety of birds, but I’d be little help on an official bird count because I would be spending all of my time looking up the birds and then being uncertain about what I had seen and heard. I have a friend who is an amateur ornithologist and has developed a great deal of expertise in identifying birds. He and his wife have made birdwatching one of their major hobbies for decades. I haven’t been similarly dedicated.
So I’ll just speculate about the possible meanings of five golden rings in an attempt to understand a children’s song. After all, singing songs with children is as much fun as watching birds.
It seems more likely that the song is just a fun counting song that entertains children and adults alike. I don’t know when the song was first published but it appears in “Mirth without Mischief,” published in 1780 and “The Nursery Rhymes of England,” published in 1842.
It is curious that the first verses all refer to birds, while verses eight through twelve are groups of entertainers. Well, minds a milking probably isn’t really entertainment like ladies dancing, lords leaping, pipers piping and drummers drumming. And then five golden rings brings to mind hand jewelry more than a bird. The five golden rings may, however, be a reference to the yellowish rings around a pheasant’s neck or to “goldspinks,” an old name for the goldfinch.
Counting birds at Christmas is a tradition that goes back quite a while. The official Christmas bird count began in 1900 which makes this year’s event the 116th count according to the Audubon Society’s web site. Christmas bird counts are conducted between December 14 and January 5. Local counts are arranged by volunteers and amateurs are welcomed to participate in identifying and counting wild birds. There is a specific methodology to the Christmas Bird Count and in each location a particular strategy is developed to count all of the birds within a 15-mile wide circle. Birds can be counted by direct sight or by sound, if the counter is able to identify the species.
The count is one of several citizens science projects that allow for large amounts of data to be collected by enabling interested volunteers to participate in genuine scientific research. The bird counts are used to monitor the health of various populations of birds, check on habitat degradation and other factors.
The tradition of counting birds at Christmas dates to an earlier tradition, that of hunting birds during the Christmas holiday. So called “side hunts” were competitions aimed at testing the marksmanship of shooters. Participants competed at how many birds they could kill, regardless of whether they had any use for the carcasses or whether the birds were beneficial, beautiful or rare. These senseless hunts led to the degradation and even total destruction of some species of birds. In 1900, ornithologist Frank Chapman, founder of Bird-Lord (which became Audubon magazine), proposed counting birds on Christmas instead of killing them.
At our home we used to feed birds year round. Then there came a year when there was a bird disease that was attributed to a fungus that was found in bird seed. As instructed, we cleaned out our feeders to make sure that we weren’t contributing to the problem. I noticed that the birds were creatures of habit and came to the feeders even when they were empty of seed. Later I learned that birds can form dependencies on feeders and that once started the practice needs to be sustained as it becomes part of the feeding cycle of the birds. I still feed the birds a little bit, but no longer keep multiple feeders going year round. Putting out bird seed during the Christmas season seems to be a kind gesture, especially when the weather is cold. I put out seed yesterday for the birds and will keep feeding until the weather warms.
I also have my annual “natural bird feeders” in the form of a crop of sunflowers. I plant sunflowers each year and leave them for the birds. The pinion jays seem to really like the seeds and often descend in mass and clean out the entire crop in a few hours.
Watching the birds in the wild, however, remains the best treat. Instead of attracting birds with food that I put out, I prefer to learn where the birds naturally congregate and where I am likely to see them when walking in the woods.
Around here winter is a time with fewer species of birds. Many of our birds head south for the winter and enjoy warmer temperatures and more abundant food nearer the equator during this time of the year. That gives us the joy of watching for their return in the spring. The first tanager of the year is always a delight and a treat.
I’ve never taken the time to become an educated bird watcher. I don’t know the names of many of the birds that we see around here and I haven’t taken the time to learn all of the calls. I can identify a few species and I enjoy looking at the wide variety of birds, but I’d be little help on an official bird count because I would be spending all of my time looking up the birds and then being uncertain about what I had seen and heard. I have a friend who is an amateur ornithologist and has developed a great deal of expertise in identifying birds. He and his wife have made birdwatching one of their major hobbies for decades. I haven’t been similarly dedicated.
So I’ll just speculate about the possible meanings of five golden rings in an attempt to understand a children’s song. After all, singing songs with children is as much fun as watching birds.