Why is There 12 Days of Christmas in the Song Instead of 1?

If you happen to like our videos and have a few bucks to spare to support our efforts, check out our Patreon page where we've got a variety of perks for our Patrons, including Simon's voice on your GPS and the ever requested Simon Whistler whistling package: / todayifoundout
→Some of our favorites: • Featured
→Subscribe for new videos every day!
www.youtube.co...
Never run out of things to say at the water cooler with TodayIFoundOut! Brand new videos 7 days a week!
More from TodayIFoundOut
The Truth About the Origin of the Candy Cane
• The Truth About the Or...
Is the Happiest Man in China Photo Real or Fake?
• Is the Happiest Man in...
In this video:
Even the most ardent fans of Christmas will agree - the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” does not make a whole lot of sense. What is a partridge doing in a pear tree? Partridges are ground-nesting birds! So where did perhaps the most earworm inducing Christmas song in history come from, and why are there twelve days in it, instead of just one?
Want the text version?: www.todayifound...
Sources:
www.catholicnew...
www.catholic.or...
articles.latime...
mentalfloss.com...
www.theatlantic...
www.allaboutbi...
www.usccb.org/b...
www.christianit...
www.britannica...
scua.library.um...
historymyths.w...
www.theatlantic...
www.jstor.org/s...
www.musicsalesc...
catholicism.abo...
www.cin.org/twe...
en.wikipedia.o...)
Image Credit:
www.bigstockph...
www.bigstockph...
www.bigstockph...
www.bigstockph...
www.bigstockph...
www.bigstockph...
www.bigstockph...
www.bigstockph...
www.bigstockph...
Music from Jukedeck - create your own at jukedeck.com.

[@TodayIFoundOut]

Now you know why there are 12 days of Christmas, so keep the Christmas trivia train rollin' along by watching this video about The 13 Year Old Girl Who Brought Us "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree": kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2bdkp5qjdGGia8

[@alleycat2759]

Who specifically was the man who came up with this song... was it a fore-bearer of Alfred Hitchcock? My true love? More like my worst nightmare! On the 7th day alone, this a-hole sent me 7 swans a swimming, 6 geese a laying, 4 calling birds, 3 french hens, 2 turtle doves and a partridge... That's 23 friggin' birds. And not once did he send me a newspaper subscription of even a mop! By the end of the 12th day, I had a house filled with 184 birds and a pile of bird droppings almost a inch thick! Also, let's not forget... Those geese are a laying. Some of those eggs will be a hatching! THEN, after the 7th day, he decided to send in show business people! Ladies dancing, pipers piping, drummers drumming and lords a leaping. I get it that they are in show business and used to working during the holidays. But what about those poor maids a milking? They should be home with their families on Christmas, not jerking on a cow! As for those cows... I managed to get them into my backyard. They were tearing up my house. But then I got another surprise... A visit from the city zoning and code enforcement division. Apparently, I'm not allowed to keep cows inside the city limits, much less 40 of them! All I know is ... with all those birds flapping around and leaving 'little souvenirs' all over the place, there is no way in hell I'm eating those pears! But I really want to know, who is this man? I have a really hard and really swift kick I want to give him, right in the balls!

[@TheRealSuperGeeks]

Today I Found Out This video was incredibly fortuitous. I just came across a Facebook post of mine from last year where I noted that there’s an awful lot of poultry given as gifts... and that was before I knew about the five gold rings. Thanks for validating my suspicions.

[@cyntogia]

@Johnny Yes a real man. St. Stephen's day, Dec 26

[@steveb6103]

Two of the worst songs of the season 🤮

[@johncrigger941]

I'm not saying if you are wrong or right but if you look up Christmas in the 1828 Noah Webster dictionary you will come up with this CHRISTMAS, noun 1. The festival of the Christian church observed annually on the 25th day of December, in memory of the birth of Christ, and celebrated by a particular church service. The festival includes twelve days 2. Christmas-day. (The festival includes 12 days) So I think we are supposed to celebrate Christmas for 12 days.

[@benbarker8154]

mumble, mumble, mumble, mumble FIVE GOLDEN RINGS, mumble, mumble, mumble---Eddie Izzard

[@MagnusSkiptonLLC]

(runs in from other room) *FIIIIIIIIIVE GOOOOOOOOLD RIIIIIIIINGS!!!!*

[@pierrec1590]

Effectively, "pear tree" sounds very much like the French "perdrix", partridge. It is frequent that, in English, an animal's name will be the French word when it is in your plate...

[@derrickzeller3351]

I'm an Episcopalian and in the Episcopal Church we celebrate 12 days of Christmas as do most liturgical churches

[@sterjulie]

I’m Roman Catholic. We celebrate the Octave of Christmas-8 days. The Christmas season includes my feasts, including Ephiphany. The season concludes on the Sunday *after* Christmas with the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord by St. John the Baptist. (Because the celebration of Ephiphany is now transferred to Sunday following January 1, this feast of the Baptism of the Lord sometimes falls on a Monday.)

[@attiasprouse682]

BONUS FACT: While the 12 days of Christmas are from 12/25-01/06 (Western Calendar), The Christmas Season doesn’t end until 02/02, The Feast of The Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple, 40 days after the celebration of His Birth. Also, I defy anybody here to find a better version of this song than John Denver with The Muppets.

[@animistchannel2983]

Best ever: Bob and Doug Mckenzie "Great White North" version kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3W3qH-nh5VqZ68

[@bxdanny]

Actually, 12/25 to 1/6 is 13 days. But 12 nights between them, "Twelfth Night" (as in Shakespeare) was the night of January 5-6. Feb. 2 (better known today as Groundhog Day) is 39 days after Christmas, but the period including both Christmas and Groundhog Day (also called Candlemas) is 40 days.

[@PSPaaskynen]

@@bxdanny In Sweden 6 January is known as Trettondag (Thirteenth day) as in the 13th day after Christmas EVE, the twelve days in between are the 12 days of Christmas. Trettondag marks the end of the Christmas holiday season.

[@Rovarin]

@@PSPaaskynen if you are a Swede it is known as Trettondagsafton, the other Nordics and Scandiwegians have names for the day in their own languages. And some even note the old Thirteenth (the 18th of January).

[@charlesfarley3299]

Ba dum bum bum

[@EdM66410]

Why do we have itches that sometimes we can’t locate? My foot itches so god damned bad right now and no matter where I scratch it’s not the right spot!!

[@Coonotafoo]

Ed M To cure yourself of that itch you must amputate your foot.

[@davidkissner6354]

Ed M that means you have herpies or diabetes

[@TheLegend-jp1vg]

Coonotafoo o

[@thepianoman808]

Coonotafoo xD what the heck bro lol

[@ubermonkee]

it can be a number of things, but this time of the year it's probably alcohol leaving your system if you had a few christmas eve :)

[@jaspr1999]

Okay! Now I need to go play this game with my wife and exchange some serious... And not so serious... Kisses!!! Merry Christmas Simon, to all those with you and your families my wife and I wish you all the Happiest of New Years!!!

[@shartlinemcdingleberries7532]

Merry Christmas, Simon!

[@BlackEpyon]

This song always involved those in my school chapel, with each grade being assigned a day, standing up and comically shouting that part at the top of their lungs rather than singing it properly. Somehow, despite the butchery, it's become a bit of a tradition in this school.

[@bushyconn]

And a happy new year to all the researchers, compilers and Simon with last, but not least all the subscribers and just likes

[@Knight_Astolfo]

I want to sing the original unabridged 39 days of Christmas! 39 Fops a' fopping, 38 Fishwives hawking, 37 Coopers cooping, .... 30 YEAR AVERAGE LIFESPAN! ...

[@gray007nl]

A lot of European countries celebrate two days of Christmas (25 and 26)

[@massman1216]

Johan Hoekstra ...

[@weckar]

4 Collin Firths 3 Bran Sans 2 Myrtle Groves and the Jaacksooon Family!

[@MedEighty]

Twelve was a very useful number in olden times, before decimal systems (i.e. systems based around number ten) became the norm. You can count twelve on a single hand (using your thumb as a pointer to the three segments of your four fingers). Twelve is also conveniently divisible by 12, 6, 4, 3, 2, and 1, making it easy for people to calculate/measure portions of twelve things (and to change the price of the things accordingly). For that reason, many things from the past involve the number twelve. For example, twelve disciples (which are found in Christianity as well as other religions, as they are all man-made and based on the norms of the times they were made up), 12 months in a year, 12 inches equating to 1 foot, 12 hours on a clock face, and going to the store to buy a dozen (i.e. 12) eggs.

[@Jegorex]

On the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a totally insufficient dowry.

[@HayTatsuko]

What a nice Christmas gift! Thank you, Simon & Co., and Merry Christmas or whatevers to you lot. :)

[@deanseawa]

You realize the text says "a partridge AND a pear tree". 9:40

[@LindaB651]

Thanks, Simon. Merry Christmas!

[@mindygracebickerdike]

How odd, I've always sang it as 4 colling birds, 5 gold (not golden) rings. And ended it 9 pipers, 10 drummers, 11 ladies dancing and 12 lords a leaping. Mindygrace

[@CorkySchillinger]

Happy Holidays to all the TIFO gang!

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

Whoever would have thought about this is really ingenius.

[@illyalil2018]

I'm not sure if it was a partridge or a turkey but I have seen one in a tree. The branch was only about 5' high though.

[@okaro6595]

Well in Finland Christmas has three holidays: 24-26th of December. Also 6th of January is a holiday as well as 1st but it is not related. The Christmas Eve is not officially a holiday but de facto it is and it is the time of major celebrations. 25th is then to rest and 26th is to visit relatives. We do not get presents at morning but sometime around 6 pm so it as really annoying to wait it. First one had to go to see dead people etc.

[@broc_ursal]

The Great White North version is the best. They were a Canadian comedy duo and the origin of Rick Morranis.

[@v2_kryptik696]

If you add all the gifts together, it adds up to 364

[@Kennyrogers287]

The partridge in the pear tree could be the tax collector in the Bible who was trying to see Jesus in a tree before Jesus told him to get out the tree and to join him for a while.

[@sarahleonard7309]

Huh. So the time I attended a party and each table was assigned one of the 12 items and were made to compete for how well they sang their line was kind of in keeping with the original spirit of the song? Good to know.

[@laureng6412]

Murry Christmas yall

[@charlesmiller6826]

Merry Christmas to you, and what's next are going to tell us Santa Claus is not real or say the Easter Bunny really doesn't leave all those chocolate eggs.

[@Marquise_de_Clarabas]

I've heard that this was an adaptation of an old French song, Ar rannoù, in breton, Les Vêpres des Grenouilles or Les Séries, or either Le druide et l'enfant in French

[@francoislacombe9071]

There's a movie titled The 12 Disasters of Christmas in which the song is a coded message giving instructions on how to stop the end of the world predicted by the Mayan calendar. No kidding, that's an actual movie ^_^

[@jur4x]

It is just approximation of time between Catholic Christmas on 24th of December and Russian Orthodox Christmas on 7th of January :)

[@iagrl]

Once upon a time Christianity was considered a heresy since it wasn't a mainstream religion at that time. Paganism was. BTW that 13 y/o girl is Brenda Lee

[@alexbrown1930]

I had always thought it was because of the difference in days between Catholic Christmas and Orthodox Christmas when the song was written.

[@JeremyWS]

Y'know I'm a Christian and I never heard about the religious symbolism of this song until today. So yes, it certainly does sound like they are just pulling it out their butts. It's a wonder what people will try to come up with. A lot of people don't realize when the 12 Days of Xmas are. It goes from Xmas Eve (December 24) to Epiphany (January 6) with three feasts in-between. You have the Xmas Feast on December 25, the Feast of Innocents on December 28, and the Epiphany Feast on January 6; and it's considered bad luck to keep up Xmas decorations up after January 7, so take them down then. It is simple to remember, but some many secular traditions have gotten mixed in that people are forgetting the true many of Xmas. Jesus is the true reason for the season, just remember that. Amen!! December 24: Christmas Eve December 25: Christmas Day December 26: Boxing Day December 27: Feast of St. John December 28: Feast of Innocents December 29: Memorial of St. Thomas December 30: Feast of the Holy Family, unless it's not a Sunday then it's held when Sunday arrives December 31: New Year's Eve January 1: New Year's Day January 2: Feast of the Wise Men January 3: Memorial of Jesus January 4: Memorial of St. Peter January 5: Memorial of St. Mark January 6: Epiphany Day January 7: put away your Christmas decorations, NOW!! Great video. Keep up the good work. God bless you. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- with love from a nerdy/reasonable Christian. Merry Xmas.

[@AlphaWolf096]

batmanfanforever08 Actually, Christmas is mostly just the pagan holiday Yule, with a Biblical coat of paint.

[@danielcaskey]

AlphaWolf098 biblical coat so to tie and mar the life of The Christ. I think all forget what he said to do in remembrance of Him. So much pagan symbolism drives this holiday which Christians don’t even question and almost all put forth there best effort to not even bring up the fact that The Christ was born during summer/late summer time which can easily be discerned if anyone cared to read scripture.

[@JeremyWS]

1) There's good historical evidence to suggest that Christmas was celebrated on December 25 for 100 years prior to it replacing and absorbing pagan rituals from Saturnalia. 2) Scriptural evidence suggests that Christ was probably born in September. So there!! Have a nice day.

[@danielcaskey]

batmanfanforever08 yet you list none of that “good historical evidence” to show Christians celebrated Christmas. I’m open to any and all that you care to list. Do keep in mind that idol worship is a big no no in scripture so that’s going to blast a massive hole in your case. The book of Jeremiah clearly details Gods distaste for idolizing trees as it states not to nail trees to the ground and adorn them as the pagan does. Where in scripture does it suggest September as a probable time of Yeshuas birth? The only way to verify about what month he was born in, is to study and find out exactly when Cyrenius, the governor Syria, held his census which is when Joseph went to Bethlehem. Facts matter so feel free to list any details you care to on something as important as scripture unless you only intend to make general statements.

[@wasd____]

Daniel Caskey Stop being a "my way is the right way" try-hard Puritan and just let everyone celebrate Christmas according to their own traditions. People have a right to different opinions about literary interpretation, which is all that reading scripture really boils down to. You're being the kind of Christian that everyone disdains because you're legalistic, intolerant, and cramming your own dogma into everyone else's business like you have some personal monopoly on knowing what really happened 2000 years ago and you're the only one who really knows what all those ancient authors really meant to say. But you don't. Learn to live and let live. Take a page from batmanfanforever08's book - there's someone who knows how to explain their beliefs in a constructive way without making it into a douchy contest over who's right (as if anyone is ever really objectively "right" when it comes to religion). You and everyone else would be a lot happier if you could get the hang of that.

[@TheCatAteMyShoe]

I always thought this song was nonsensical. Thanks for explaining it to me!!!

[@Ayce1955]

I'm partial to Bob & Doug McKenzie's version. :)

[@kandyappleview]

You mean to tell me I could be getting 12 days off work for Christmas every year?!

[@xxXthekevXxx]

Missed opportunity to wear a Christmasy shirt ;)

[@NA-ck6cz]

I met Faith, Hope, and Charity at the strip club

[@cmdraftbrn]

lol

[@jamescoffey5903]

Traditional next line to that... "And I gave until it hurt".

[@johnferguson7235]

Along with Krystal and Brittney

[@TS_Mind_Swept]

And in our next video, the actual origins of Christmas (pls?)

[@dundee520]

thank you for the info

[@SeanSinclair821]

I'd never heard of the tradition of kissing when someone forgets a lyric of the song, but that's a good idea.

[@kimberlytuttle7767]

Amazing.

[@chartle1]

I thought it was about the plague or trolling some old king or some such thing. :-)

[@jimrichards7014]

A beer in a tree. :)

[@ThAlEdison]

Re: none of the elements being specifically Catholic. The number of sacrements is different under Catholicism vs many protestant denominations. Anglicanism has a different break from Catholicism than some other protestant denominations, and as such it treats the sacrements in a different way yet again. Some Anglican congregations seem to go with just two sacrements, and others with 7. So, it depends on where you are whether 7 is the right number of sacrements for non-Catholics.

[@RMoribayashi]

... and a beer.

[@swampfizz5370]

partridges spend lots of time in trees

[@frankharr9466]

Best forfit ever! I wonder if I could get in on that.

[@thumpertron]

Because we're now so good at keeping and storing information, the future is going to be so boring in terms of mystery and self discovery. There will be no more myths and legends, no one wondering why or how we did things. Maybe that's a good thing though as it will stop people constantly looking backwards and instead look forward, to push humankind further that it ever though possible. I would like to be a part of that. Being alive in this age of humanity feels so uninspiring.

[@vickyabramowitz4919]

I agree that life without mysteries would be boring.

[@Venoseth]

Living in an age of enlightenment it's difficult to imagine when the library will burn. Enjoy it, preserve it if you can.

[@MagnusSkiptonLLC]

Now the real question: is it five GOLD rings, or five GOLDEN rings?

[@dhpd]

It's a folk song, Skippy, they're both right ... as long a folks sin 'em.

[@akrybion]

Before watching- I guess it's the days from Christmas Eve to the coming of the three Wise Kings.

[@owenoulton9312]

I particularly like SCTV's Great White North version by Bob and Doug McKenzie.

[@danysiegh9746]

there is a song called 12 days after Christmas .

[@wearebuffa]

Love that one! We sing it in several ensembles.

[@serenanorris6129]

I found the story of the 12 days before Christmas very interesting I'm not Christian but can appreciate it is intriguing

[@theJellyjoker]

FIVE GOLD RINGS!

[@gray007nl]

9:24 The ashen what?

[@davidlogansr8007]

The burnt up stick(s)with which bundle you had started the fire. Don't look for outrage which was never there!

[@wantpig21]

Because one day would be have been a short song

[@EddieAtTheMorgue]

Lucas Needham I’ll have to have my nephew make that song. He’ll list off everything he got for Christmas with no rhyme or reason, mispronunciations and all. Just a 4 year old rambling to the camera.

[@angelomassaro4487]

I was always told it was because the 12 days between the Birth of christ and the arrival of the three kings.

[@StefanTravis]

If you map out the timeline given in Matthew, it was 2 years. And they're not described as "kings". And it isn't specified that there were three of them.

[@TalesStahl]

the king (something with H i cant remember now) send 3 magi when Jesus was born it took them 2 years to reach them. Since the Bible stated they came from the east and followed the star they saw in the east (meaning they where east of Bethlehem and then walked even farer east moving away from Jesus) its a miracle that they only need 2 years to walk around the earth to end at there target. (Who ever wrote the new testament should have paid someone to prove read)

[@zachstevens7382]

Angelo Massaro lol no... the kings lords arrived much later like when jesus was like 2 or 3 with the gifts to honor the newly born lord. they are astrological professors educated men who viewed the stars and saw the event coming and led by something higher up to marry and Joseph and jesus wise kinds from the east. more than 3. a whole caravan but they have 3 types of gifts to honor jesus. they knew what's up. :)

[@angelomassaro4487]

Zach Stevens I really don't care its just what I was told for christ sake everyone above you has said the same thing you are just repeating what they said.

[@zachstevens7382]

Angelo Massaro why did you even comment in the first place or respond if you don't care? :) seems pretty dumb. I was just offering what I knew on it. didn't read much into it. seriously though don't be a scrooge this time of year and hopefully you find the true... :)

[@AshKetchum442]

why the church official didnt just say “i made it up” is beyond me

[@HateUTub]

Because it would be a really short song if there was just one.

[@owo4470]

12 days only? jesus,chinese new year lasts for 14 days!

[@shawnnewell4541]

I went 12 years to Catholic schools. This was never considered a religious song.

[@kell_checks_in]

Partridges will leave their nestlings in order to draw threats away from the chicks, taking on the threat just as Christ takes our sins upon himself.

[@drewamasterpiece5268]

12 days of Christmas,12 disciples, twelve months in a year! PAGANISM, wake up! Prayers incantation! DUH!! What the human mind constructs for survival!

[@davidlogansr8007]

Froliche Weinacht! Excuse the spelling!

[@PacoOtis]

Simon! Check your title! "Are" and not "is" Best of luck!

[@explosiverift2037]

I haven’t watched the full video yet but; the 12 days of Christmas add up to 364, a year has 365 days, coincidence? I think not.

[@dogphlap6749]

If Christmas day is the 1st day of Christmas surely that makes Jan 6th the 13th day of Christmas ?

[@mr.dr.genius2169]

I never heard of that song.

[@JonPITBZN]

Are all of the precepts contained within the song's putative symbolism universal to all Christian churches? I think there are a lot of Protestant churches that recognize fewer than seven sacraments. I'm not sure every church uses the Apostle's Creed, either. But yeah, I defy you to find anyone being punished in England at any time for openly teaching the Four Gospels or the Ten Commandment. It's a laughable though. Although I guess if Jesus was transubstantiating some wine into blood while he was sitting in the pear tree, that'd be pretty Catholic.

[@malcolmodell3170]

Please fix the typos in the video title before my OCD goes into overdrive. Ok, thanks.

[@Pants4096]

ARGH! Why is the video title "why IS there 12 days"? In the video itself he correctly says "why ARE there 12 days"...

[@DrewberTravels]

5:05 I hope god forgives him for being a liar.

[@Acrolance]

did he explain why there's 12?

[@LostWhits]

Did you cover the bonus fact of how many presents the singer receives by the end of the song?

[@andymcl92]

LostWhits Bonus fact: 364 Done :)

[@BeeHatGuy]

Why 11 apostles? After Judas hung himself, the other apostles elected Mathias to bring the number back to 12. I forgot where in the Bible it says it, tho

[@peccantis]

Wouldn't the pear tree obviously be Mary, mother of Jesus?

[@neverlandnights]

I prefer the Donny osmond version of most songs.

[@TS_Mind_Swept]

Why does your title say "why *is* there"? Even in the video you said "why *are* there"

[@AndrewGruffudd]

I quite enjoyed the Jasper Carrott version - but I'm not kissing him...

[@gipen]

I don't know what is the song :/ You should play a part of it at least

[@gentlemandemon]

there's definitely value in adapting symbols with time, but I just don't understand how symbols always get morphed towards Christians being persecuted minorities in the modern world

[@Serai3]

All these silly myths came about because we no longer have "stacking" songs, songs where you start with one small thing and then keep adding new elements, repeating the entire list every time an item is added. So people had to come up with all kinds of silliness to explain what used to be a fairly common song structure. There used to be lots of these stacking songs (they were especially well suited to drinking songs), but the 12 Days of Christmas is the only one still generally known. ("99 Bottles of Beer" isn't a stacking song but it's a similar idea - a song that keeps going on with a change in each verse as long as you can keep at it.) I learned a few of these when working at a Ren Faire in the 80's. They're actually really cool, it's too bad we don't have them anymore.

[@Sequins_]

My one suggestion for this channel is to please have the text scroll at the same rate at which it is spoken. I have dyslexia and it’s much easier to read when I have text and audio, and that small lag really distracts me. Love your channel so, so much though! ♥️

[@charmainferreira1324]

AbbyJ. Agreed! Please Simon.

[@craziestcat5767]

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone has a wonderful day!! Happy Holidays!! 😆😆

[@stellarfirefly]

I celebrate one day of Christmas because by the time the 25th comes around, I'm so satiated and lethargic that my family has to drag me around if they want me to participate in anything else at all.

[@kell_checks_in]

If you're Christian, why not keep Advent? You can forego certain foods, etc., as during Lent, limit the partying, do some self-reflection & penance, give/work for charity, and avoid putting up decorations until Gaudete Sunday*. Then, when Christmas really comes, you get to celebrate all the way through to Epiphany! *I usually put up outdoor decorations after Thanksgiving, because it's become a form of witness.

[@EdM66410]

Hope all you knowledge seekers have an awesome Christmas!

[@TodayIFoundOut]

And you as well :-)

[@redhotz21]

Merry Christmas!!

[@Will-eh6xe]

Ed M thanks Ed m u as well

[@alexlandherr]

Or to all Facteteers!

[@foureyedchick]

Christ mass = Christmas

[@xxXthekevXxx]

The title grammar may be incorrect... but I’m not sure. “why _is_ there 12 days...” vs “why _are_ there 12 days...”

[@macvena]

Kevin Benoit "are" is proper. It's the plural form.

[@Kat-tq6tm]

Are

[@natalieprocopio1819]

You're right. The title is wrong, it should say"are" instead of "is"

[@howtubeable]

Right, because if you make it a statement, it says, "There are 12 Days of Christmas."

[@brunsta234]

Kevin Benoit it's is because he's referring to one song as opposed to literally 12 days

[@jesperkthomsen]

"Obviously, I cannot prove anything to anyone who doesn't care to believe." So proof is now the definition of a belief-based argument... I think I'll try that for my next parking ticket.

[@hameley12]

Thank you Simon, I have always asked myself this question. Have a Merry Christmas Simon and a fantastic New Year's Day!

[@N313GrayFox]

9:24...Wait, what?

[@spuddy345]

Fernando Davalos in context, that would refer to a tied bundle of sticks used to sweep up.

[@benjaminwalker7793]

What isn't popularised by the Americans these days? Free speech, Invading Iraq because reasons, All that other stuff!

[@wearebuffa]

I thought they were thin sticks used for building a fire.

[@LividImp]

Forget a lyric, give a kiss, get jailed for sexual harassment.

[@richardbidinger2577]

During the Roman Empire, they had the Celebration of Saturnalia. The celebration ran for 12 days from the end of December, through the beginning of January. When the Christian church couldn't stamp it out, they took it over, just like they did most non Christian celebrations. The song might have an interesting origin, but the actual 12 days come from a pagan celebration. True story.

[@163reasonswhyrealestateage4]

If I were a teacher, I would begin the day with my students by having them watch one of your videos. You always present interesting subject matter that isn't available from any other source. Thank you Simon.

[@UpcycleElectronics]

The holiday isn't even biblical...but mainstream Christianity isn't biblical by any stretch anyway. Then again, who cares about a book claiming divine inspiration when the one doing the inspiring can't manage to preserve the original documents created.

[@farpointgamingdirect]

I could eat a bowl of alphabet soup and shit a better statement than that

[@Rovarin]

In the Faroe Islands they have a tradition where they count the days of Christmas at midnight on Shrove Monday (Many of the Nordic countries go trick or treating around that time and it is believed that this arose from a tradition of beggars going from house to house to beg for meat just before Lent in pre-Reformation times). They count the days of Christmas by using usually one or two traditional ballads, performed in a chain dance. One of the ballads is in Faroese and called Mær gav Sankta Mortan (St. Martin Gave Me) and it recounts the 20 gifts that the imaginary story teller had received from St. Martin, the first gift, given on the first day, being a feather of a well flying bird. The other ballad is performed in Gøtudanskt (a Faroese dialect of Danish) and might be Norwegian or Danish in origin. It is called Satt op Sankte Simeon (Stand up St. Simeon/Simon) and is shorter, only 12 stanzas or verses (12 apostles, 11 disciples, 10 commandments, 9 choir of angels, 8 blessings, 7 days of creation, 6 stone vessels in the land of Canaan, 5 books of Moses, 4 evangelists, 3 patriarchs, 2 tablets of the law and one is the Lord God who rules all things (this last one is an approximate translation)). Both ballads are performed in the same way - often to the same melody. They will start out by singing the first stanza, which is the first verse (the one feather and the one god) and then for each stanza they will add a verse - sometimes after they've reached the 20th or 12th stanza they will sing the last stanza one final time. Of the two, I think the St. Martin ballad seems to be more kid-friendly and probably intended for fun, while the St. Simeon ballad has a certain religiously didactic element to it - it may have been used as a memory device by people to remember certain things that they were required to know about.

[@Onehurtdevildog]

My brain feels fed.

[@astahelgadottir8747]

In Iceland we have 13 days of Christmas (or Jól as we have called it since before Christianity was our thing). We also count the 24th because that's when Christmas arrives at 6 in the evening. That's when we eat the big Christmas meal and open gifts.

[@JohannaInTheCorner]

Do you have the same song? How does it deal with the extra day?