Christmas Day 6

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me … six geese-a-laying.

For those of you who can’t wait for the holiday season to end (and I’ve met a few of you lately), today is the halfway point. You only have six more days of torture until Epiphany. For those of you who are still celebrating, you have six more days of fun and festivities to keep you busy. I am of the latter persuasion, as you may have surmised by now.

Surprisingly (or not), did you notice that, once again, a bird is the symbol of the day in the Twelve Days of Christmas tune? Thus far, the song has sported a partridge, two turtle doves, a few hens, and some blackbirds. Today, the music adds a gaggle of geese. Why?

Theologically, the six geese-a-laying symbolize the six days of creation. According to Genesis 1, that would mean “day” and “night” were designed on day one; the “sky” and the separation of the waters were engineered on day two; the “land,” the “sea,” and vegetation were made on day three; the sun, the moon, and the stars were fashioned on day four; sea creatures, marine life, and birds were brought into being on day five; and all other living creatures (including man) were created on day six.

Historically, mythologically, the geese represent many other ideas: fertility, protection, seaside vegetation, etc. The author of Brownielocks.com elaborates for us:

Because of their migration habits, they [geese] were often considered to be a symbol of the solar year and also fertility. Ancient Egyptians believed that a mummy’s soul rose up in the form of a goose with a human head. The Roman goddess Juno considered the goose sacred. Why? In 387 B.C., the geese in her temple cackled and honked, warning the Romans that barbarians were close. Ever since then, the geese were honored for their protective services. Medieval seafarers had a strange tale on the origin of the goose. It seems that on the hull of their ships grew this long, goose-shaped barnacle. Coincidentally, there was also an Arctic goose that migrated around England. Since this goose and the barnacle looked a lot alike, the sailors said that the goose originated from the barnacle, and in some tales a seaside tree.

Why was this so important? … because the goose came from a tree it was suddenly all right to eat because it was then considered a “fruit” and not the “flesh of animals.” By the 18th century, the goose was the customary Christmas dinner. The boar had been hunted to extinction, so it was no longer served. But, many homes served a string of sausages around the goose as a reminder of the boar in days past.

Fascinating stuff, but nothing that really drives home a lesson of great theological import (especially since I am writing this near midnight). If I think of something profound and inspiring, I will let you know.

Not much else happened around here this Saturday. I picked up the altar flowers for church at Tommy’s Flowers in Groton and worked around the house. Pretty boring, but relaxing. What can I say, I’m still on Christmas vacation.

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