Christmas Day 3

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me … three French hens.

Similar to my question about turtledoves yesterday, today I ask, “What is a French hen anyway?” From Brownielocks.com I learned this:

Some believe that the French hens prove that this song [the Twelve Days of Christmas] originated in France. How? The Latin name for France was Gaul, which comes from the Latin word Gallia. This is close to the Roman word for rooster.

In the Christian religion, it is believed that a cock crowed when Christ was born as a sign that “the light of the world” had arrived. This is why a rooster on a Christian tomb symbolizes the resurrection.

During the 18th century, large, exotic fowl from the Orient were brought back to England. These birds mated with the descendants of the Roman-breed chickens. It is believed that the “three French hens” in the song represent a new breed. White chickens are believed to bring good luck. And, hens are believed to symbolize motherly devotion.

According to the history of the carol, the Twelve Days of Christmas, the three French hens represent the three theological virtues --- faith, hope, and charity (love) --- listed in 1 Corinthians 13:13:

“But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” NASB

According to Wikipedia:

- In Catholic theology, it is held that these virtues differ from the cardinal virtues in that they cannot be obtained by human effort. A person can only receive them by their being “infused”--- through Divine grace --- into the person.

- In some Christian traditions, there are four cardinal virtues: prudence, temperance, courage, and justice.

- These “cardinal” virtues are not the same as the three theological virtues: faith, hope and charity (see 1 Corinthians 13). Together, they comprise what are known as the seven cardinal virtues, also known as the heavenly virtues.

So, the French hens are all about virtue, about striving for high moral standards. I suppose the question to ask now is “How am I doing in that effort?” How are you doing?

Photo of Three French Hens Christmas ornament by artist P. Buckley Moss was taken from the website of the Finn Gallery in St. Petersburg, FL.