The Birds in ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’

Have you ever thought about all the birds in the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas”? Most of us remember that nonsensical song since childhood. Stop for a minute or two and think about the song. How much would a gift list like this cost in 2024? Does the song have any meaning? Why are seven of the gifts birds? Armed with this trivia, you’ll be able to start some interesting conversations at holiday social gatherings!

PNC’s Christmas Price Index

If your true love gave you the list of gifts each day, at the end of the twelve days your true love would have given you 364 gifts. PNC’s Christmas Price Index lists the 2024 cost of each item.

12 Partridges…………….…………$ 370.18

22 Turtle doves………….…………$ 750.00

30 French hens…………….………$ 346.50

36 Calling birds…………….………$ 599.96

40 Gold rings……………….…….$ 1,245.00

42 Geese laying eggs….…………$ 900.00

42 Swans………………….…. …$ 13,125.00

40 Milking maids……….……………$ 58.00

36 Dancing ladies……..………..$ 8,557.37

30 Leaping Lords……………….$15,579.65

22 Piping pipers.………..……….$ 3,714.96

12 Drumming Drummers………$ 4,016.85

That’s 140 people and 184 birds totaling $209,272 by PNC’s accounting.  In medieval times that might have convinced you to marry the guy!

A Brief History

The celebration of the twelve days of Christmas dates back to 567 AD. The Council of Tours declared December 25 – January 5 as a holy season celebrating the nativity. The setting is probably medieval or Tudor England.

One scholar believes The Twelve Days of Christmas song was originally a love song. “All those ladies and dancing and pipers and drums imply this is a wedding.” During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries it was popular to get married on Christmas.

Folk songs, like this one, are around a long time before they’re written down. The poem was first published in a children’s book, “Mirth Without Mischief”, in 1780. It was a “memory and forfeits” game for children. Each child had to recite the verses previously sung and add a new verse. Forgetting a verse meant a forfeit like a kiss or a piece of candy. In 1909 Frederic Austin wrote the music that popularized the poem as a song.

But What About All Those Birds

Why are there so many birds at a medieval wedding feast. Unfortunately, birds were a frequent menu item during Medieval times. The birds weren’t the chicken and turkeys that are so prevalent today. Surprisingly, sometimes they were live birds that provided entertainment.

One Partridge (12) Some early versions of the song list a very pretty peacock on a pear tree rather than a partridge.Peacock was an expensive delicacy for the wealthy on very special occasions. After cooking, its tailfeathers served as an inedible garnish. The partridge, on the other hand, was a more common dish in medieval England. It’s a traditional game bird. During the 1700s, the red-legged partridge was introduced to England as a game bird. This partridge has been known to perch in trees.

Two Turtle doves (22)

During the Medieval ages, rich families built dovecotes. The resident doves and pigeons provided food, feathers, and fertilizers. In 2024 a small, tin turtle dove was uncovered in Poland. It incorporated the Latin phrase “amor vincit omnia”, meaning “love conquers all.” Archaeologists believe it is a love token from medieval times. Shakespeare included turtle doves in his writings multiple times.

Three French Hens (30)

There isn’t enough information given to determine the kind of hens. “French” may be a hint to the origin of the song. It may be that they were a very special breed. A poor farmer might have three or four hens.  Thirty hens would provide plenty of meat and eggs!

Four Calling Birds (36)

“Calling” is a misnomer. The Old English word “colly” refers to black. ‘Calling’ birds are actually blackbirds. While small birds were eaten in medieval times, there’s another more entertaining possibility for these blackbirds. Remember the children’s rhyme Sing a Song of Sixpence? It begins:

Five Gold rings (4)

Why do five gold rings suddenly appear and interrupt a list of birds? Well, there’s a good chance these are five ring-necked pheasants. The first written records of pheasants in England occurred in 1059 and 1089. In both cases, they were given as gifts. Pheasants were not widespread throughout the country. In fact, laws protected them. Hunting rights were strictly controlled by the nobility. Feasting on pheasant was another delicacy for the rich. The PNC Christmas Price Index needs to recalculate the cost of gold and buy some more birds!

Six Geese (42)

Kings, lords, and rich people kept flocks of geese starting around the eighth century. A royal farm might have thirty geese, while a smaller farm only had twelve. Forty-two geese was very generous!

Geese were very labor-intensive to raise. They fed on greenery and needed to be properly herded.  Child-labor was readily available. Hopefully some of the lords, ladies, and milk maids (mentioned later in the song) would also be willing to help.) Geese also provided feathers for arrows. And no girl should ever be without a goose down pillow! The song seems to imply that the egg production was the important part. Geese lay eggs for two to three months starting in February laying up to 20 eggs each year. That’s 840 eggs over a two or three month period which would be about 9 to  14 eggs ago. Her romantic loved doomed her to a high cholesterol diet. Let it also be noted that ‘laying geese’ aren’t very productive without partners. A gander maxed out at ‘servicing’ four females. Hopefully the romantic guy realized this.

Seven Swans (42)

In medieval times, the mute swan was a symbol of love. Swans were luxury goods in  medieval times.

Unfortunately, these beautiful, graceful birds a delicacy for kings and nobles. They liked to skin them and redress them in their feathers. Sometimes a lump of blazing incense was put in their beaks. Forty swans were ordered for Henry III’s Christmas celebrations in 1247. Evidently “my true love” wanted to outdo the king himself!

Conclusion:

Your true love just gave you an aviary. He’s definitely NOT an investment banker. Dead birds and blackbirds in a pie are definitely not your style. Ditch the guy. There’s someone else out there for you who is an avid birdwatcher!

Smiles!