Huckleman2000
It was something I ate.
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2004
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Only in Britain
THE SAUCY SECRETS OF NO.1 YULETIDE CAROL
09:30 - 24 December 2005
An author who claims to have found the real meaning behind one of Britain's most famous carols says it isn't about Christmas at all - it's about sex. Writer Ray Wright, a grandfather-ofthree, said The Twelve Days Of Christmas was changed by the Catholic Church tomask its mysterious origins in pagan mating rituals.
Ray, 75, reckons that after the medieval Church failed to ban the carol, it managed to jumble up the numbers to mask the dangerous sexual signals.
He made the fascinating discovery after months of painstaking research combing through dusty archives in libraries across the country. Ray believes the progression of the carol, most famously sung by Bing Crosby, really moves from the lover's gift of a partridge in a pear tree to a symbol of post-orgasmic bliss.
"It's all about being in love with our nature, with the nature of everything, and the whole cycle of nature is sexual, '' he said.
The cycles of the year, the seasons and of life and death are all exhibited in the popular carol, he believes.
According to Ray's research, the number of maids milking, ladies dancing, Lords leaping, pipers piping and drummers drumming have all been mixed up.
Bing Crosby sings of eight maids milking, nine ladies dancing, 10 Lords leaping, 11 pipers piping and 12 drummers drumming.
But Ray says it was originally eight maids, nine drummers, 10 pipers, 11 ladies, and 12 Lords.
To go through Ray's "real" order, he believes the gifts of a partridge, two turtle doves, and three French hens are increasingly extravagant romantic gifts exchanged between lovers.
The four calling birds have been changed from the original wording of Colly birds, a nickname for a Raven, which represents the passion of women and is also a symbol of both life and death.
Ray believes the five gold rings represent sexual union and the conception of the baby is represented by the six geese laying eggs.
He added the seven swimming swans were metaphors for the foetus swimming in its mother's womb.
"In medieval times, people only believed that you became human when you were born, that's why the animal metaphors are used, '' he explained.
"The maids milking is about breastfeeding and the 'drummers drumming' represents the heartbeat of the baby as it grows.''
The pipers are the voices of the gods awakening the young person to a sexual life, which leads to the 11 ladies dancing in an attempt to seduce the male.
"That's the seductive part, '' Ray said. "Then the final stage of the cycle is the 12 Lords leaping, which is the men after they have again enjoyed the act of love-making.''
He said the song was originally intended to have been sung at any time of the year, particularly at the changing of the seasons. Ray is so passionate about trying to return the carol to its original form that he has banned it from being played in the visitor attraction he runs in Gloucestershire.
"I've taken it off the sound system until someone records the original version, '' he said of the Clearwell Caves attraction in the Forest of Dean.
He added the song could also be read as simply a love song or a party game, where 12 people each take a turn to sing in faster and faster rounds.
Ray is still seeking a publisher for his book, provisionally titled The Gifts Of The Sun.
THE SAUCY SECRETS OF NO.1 YULETIDE CAROL
09:30 - 24 December 2005
An author who claims to have found the real meaning behind one of Britain's most famous carols says it isn't about Christmas at all - it's about sex. Writer Ray Wright, a grandfather-ofthree, said The Twelve Days Of Christmas was changed by the Catholic Church tomask its mysterious origins in pagan mating rituals.
Ray, 75, reckons that after the medieval Church failed to ban the carol, it managed to jumble up the numbers to mask the dangerous sexual signals.
He made the fascinating discovery after months of painstaking research combing through dusty archives in libraries across the country. Ray believes the progression of the carol, most famously sung by Bing Crosby, really moves from the lover's gift of a partridge in a pear tree to a symbol of post-orgasmic bliss.
"It's all about being in love with our nature, with the nature of everything, and the whole cycle of nature is sexual, '' he said.
The cycles of the year, the seasons and of life and death are all exhibited in the popular carol, he believes.
According to Ray's research, the number of maids milking, ladies dancing, Lords leaping, pipers piping and drummers drumming have all been mixed up.
Bing Crosby sings of eight maids milking, nine ladies dancing, 10 Lords leaping, 11 pipers piping and 12 drummers drumming.
But Ray says it was originally eight maids, nine drummers, 10 pipers, 11 ladies, and 12 Lords.
To go through Ray's "real" order, he believes the gifts of a partridge, two turtle doves, and three French hens are increasingly extravagant romantic gifts exchanged between lovers.
The four calling birds have been changed from the original wording of Colly birds, a nickname for a Raven, which represents the passion of women and is also a symbol of both life and death.
Ray believes the five gold rings represent sexual union and the conception of the baby is represented by the six geese laying eggs.
He added the seven swimming swans were metaphors for the foetus swimming in its mother's womb.
"In medieval times, people only believed that you became human when you were born, that's why the animal metaphors are used, '' he explained.
"The maids milking is about breastfeeding and the 'drummers drumming' represents the heartbeat of the baby as it grows.''
The pipers are the voices of the gods awakening the young person to a sexual life, which leads to the 11 ladies dancing in an attempt to seduce the male.
"That's the seductive part, '' Ray said. "Then the final stage of the cycle is the 12 Lords leaping, which is the men after they have again enjoyed the act of love-making.''
He said the song was originally intended to have been sung at any time of the year, particularly at the changing of the seasons. Ray is so passionate about trying to return the carol to its original form that he has banned it from being played in the visitor attraction he runs in Gloucestershire.
"I've taken it off the sound system until someone records the original version, '' he said of the Clearwell Caves attraction in the Forest of Dean.
He added the song could also be read as simply a love song or a party game, where 12 people each take a turn to sing in faster and faster rounds.
Ray is still seeking a publisher for his book, provisionally titled The Gifts Of The Sun.
