Christmas, such a festive time of the year for all to celebrate in their own little ways, making, breaking and faking tradition for gifts and toys. Fee knows it best, getting up on her feet and telling the rest, “shut up with the 12 days of Christmas it’s not yet even December“. In fact a favourite of mine the 12 days of Christmas (you know the one where we get 364 gifts for free) has some special meanings. For me let’s look at the partridge in a pear tree.
In Christian tradition the song begins as follows (sing along in your head, you can’t stop it now ha)
“O the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me, a partridge in a pear tree” in which the true love refers to yours truly, no? Fine, he actually represents God himself, the partridge in the pear tree (who really wants a pear tree? apples are where it’s at) symbolizing the sacrifice of Jesus to protect his followers, just as a mother partridge feigns injury to protect her young, by giving herself up, leaving her young to fend for themselves, grow independent, create an empire, betray one another etc etc (by the way statistically, sacrifice is a poor personal choice).
In truth, the Christian meaning and explanations for the song are a lie, but non the less helpful for those who are actually faithful. More accurately the song and the partridge in a pear tree is a mis-translation of an 18/19th century child’s lyrical game (sing a line wrong and you’re out, similar to adult drinking games where you sing a line incorrectly and you have to drink, dare I say ideas anyone?). Really the partridge in a pear tree is probably just a partidge in a tree with the pear bit translated on at some point.
Renditions of the song and the first gift have also changed through time, for example in Frank Sinatra’s version he substitutes the partridge and tree for a purple tie, and a radio version of the song by Bob Rivers replaces gifts for “annoying things to do during Christmas” in which the partridge in a pear tree is replaced by another, taller slightly piney / pokey tree.
Richard’s archaeological Partridge in a Pear Tree
As an archaeologist, My interpretation of the song is displayed in the picture, *partridge* (well we tried) bones on a high viz jacket that somehow kind of looks like a tree, with an actual steak of wood (probably a little sister or brother of an actual tree) being used as a tree. And one day it will end up in a book with some sort of meaning that I won’t be so sure about.
Honestly people on the first day of Christmas all I want is Alan Partridge and a cup of tea please.
Feature image recreated from Xavier Romero-Frias https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:XRF_12days.jpg under CC license