Christmas Day 8

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me … eight maids-a-milking.

Ah, ha. We finally have people as the “object” of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Whew! I thought we would never get rid of those birds. Trading them in for maids and their milk might not be all that great, but let’s see what Brownielocks.com has to say:

This refers to the many food products that are made of milk. In the old days, due to poor refrigeration, a person didn’t really drink fresh milk. Milk quickly would sour and/or separate. But, when it was in the form of sweet milk, sour cream, butter and/or cheese, then milk became very important!

Custard was one of the favorite foods of the Middle Ages. Another was boiling (hulled) wheat in milk, with egg yolks and some saffron. It’s closest resemblance today would be like oatmeal? Cottage cheese was another popular food. But, actual cheese was the prize! Both in England and France, cheese provided food during the long winters.

In 18th century England, they played a game on Christmas night called “Yawning for the Chesire Cheese.” OK, now we all know that yawning is addictive. It’s really hard to not yawn when you see someone yawn. Well, back in those days they had yawning contests. And, the person who made the widest and longest yawn --- and who produced the greatest yawns in return --- won the cheese!

Now we get to the term “come a-milking.” In the 18th century, when a maiden was asked to “go a-milking” it had one of two meanings. Either it was a proposal of marriage; or, it was a rather risqué invitation for intimacy. I’m not sure how a girl knew which intention the man meant.

Theologically, the eight maids represent the eight Beatitudes:

- Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
- Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
- Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
- Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
- Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.
- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
- Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

As a child, I remember feeling comforted by this Scripture passage. I suppose it made me feel very loved by and important to God since I was just as small and insignificant as most of the people mentioned in the verse. As an adult, I still feel the same way whenever I hear it read in church, or when I read it to myself at home. Now, it comforts me because I realize that each blessing represents a promise that, I know, God will keep. What a wonderful reminder for the New Year.

Photo of Eight Maids-a-Milking Christmas ornament by artist P. Buckley Moss was taken from the website of the Finn Gallery in St. Petersburg, FL.