What you don’t know about the song ‘12 Days of Christmas’

MANILA, Philippines – With its catchy tune and lyrics, the Christmas song "12 Days of Christmas" is one of the most popular carols of all time. But it’s also one of the misunderstood ones.

Contrary to what most people know, the 12 days in the song actually refer to 12 days after Christmas Day, not before it, leading up to the Epiphany on January 6 when the Magi or the three wise men visited Jesus in the manger.

The famous Christmas carol is also probably one of the most parodied ones of with versions from Frank Sinatra, The Muppets, Winnie the Pooh and even Alvin and the Chipmunks.

The exact origins of the song, however, are unknown. Some believe it to be of Christian instruction, dating back to the the 16th-century religious wars in England when it was used as a means of teaching children about the Christian faith.

Others think it was a children’s memory and counting game where kids would take turns in singing the lyrics around a circle.

But many still believe it is a love song where a persistent lover is sending a woman extravagant gifts as he asks her hand for marriage.

Some of these extravagant gifts, however, may not be what most people think. The five golden rings, for example, actually refer to the rings used around a pheasant’s neck as a label that he or she is someone’s property. This makes sense considering the other gifts mentioned in the song: a partridge in a pear tree, two turtle doves, three French hens, four collie birds and six geese a laying.

In any case, everyone has their ideal set of Christmas gifts they’d like to receive for a span of 12 days.

With that, foodpanda is having 12 days of giveaways from December 11 to 22, 2015.

All you have to do is place an order on www.foodpanda.ph or the foodpanda mobile app to qualify for the raffle and get a chance to win one of the following 12 prizes:

• P500 foodpanda Gift Certificate
• P1,000 foodpanda Gift Certificate
• Nikon D3100 14.2 MP SLR Camera
• GoPro Hero4 12 MP Action Camera
• Asus Zenpower Powerbank
• Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 Camera
• Spigen Slim Armor Case for iPhone 6
• Apple Macbook Air
• ADATA HD650 External Drive
• Trinx 036 Mountain Bike
• Casio Sports Men’s Silver Resin Band Watch
• Nude Audio Move S Bluetooth Speaker