12 Days of Christmas picturesAdvanced Photoshop Pictures Contest - 13 image entries
Contest Directions: 
When it comes to Christmas songs, "12 Days of Christmas" remains to be one of the most popular ones, along with "Winter Wonderland", "Let it Snow," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and "Jingle Bells." Since the original "12 Days of Christmas", many spoofs of this song were written, e.g. "Modern 12 Days of Christmas."
Photoshop 12 Days of Christmas theme any way you like.
Some examples are: changing the song and photoshopping one of the days (e.g. "On the third day of Christmas, Bush sent to me... three tax breaks, World War III, and Osama hanged on a Pear Tree"), or illustrating one of the days from the original song. NOTE: your entry does not have to include all the "gifts" from one day, but must show at least one of them (in the above example it's enough to show Osama hanged on a Pear Tree). You can include the text Lyrics you are illustrating directly in the entry (as a text), or simply include it in the author's comments.
[ browse best gallery pictures ] Tags: days christmas
Jackpot: 1st place: $5, 2nd place: $3 , 3rd place: $2
Started: 12/5/2007 6:00:00 AM, Ended: 12/7/2007 6:00:00 AM
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| | Celebrating Christmas for most of the Christians will not be confined to a single day. It starts from 26th December, and lasts till 6th January, viz. 12 days from the birth of the Christ to the arrival of the magician. But there are some differences in the versions. Oxford English Dictionary gives such a definition on twelfth night: “This evening 5th January, Twelfth night”.
In England the era of Tudors twelfth night commemorated as the end of winter festivals, which started during the time of modern Halloween. There exists a popular legend, which exactly in this night the Christmas decorations will be removed compulsorily, otherwise on the house will collapse all types of annoyances. But if al all they weren’t able to remove the attribute in time, then it should be decorating the premises for the whole year. If at all to conclude in a short way, then all 12 days of Christmas from the ancient times was very important for the Christians, that’s why, of course, about them they could not write songs. That is called in the same wise – “The Twelve Days of Christmas”.
The first words “Twelve Days of Christmas” was published in a book “Mirth without mischief” around 1780 year in England. Melody is much older and developed in France. There is a version, that is was children play rhyme. The chief cries the first sentence, next player – second one and so on, till somebody will stumbles. In this situation he has to pay something. After that the song became popular during the festival 12th day of the Christmas celebrations. The date of first performance of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is not known, but, according to some statistics, it was used in the Europe and Scandinavia even in the XVI century.
If at all to receive the song literally, it will not call anything, except smile. It seems that it is just senseless allotments of gifts, in which you can ascertain, reading the translation of one of the couplets of Valentina Berestova:
On the 12th day of Christmas
My true love sent to me love
Twelve drummers drumming
Eleven pipers piping
Ten lords a-leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
But there exists a belief that the song “Twelve days of Christmas” was written as a religious teaching song. For the Catholics in England from 1558 to 1829 year there was a law which prohibited any religious message – private as well as public. To be Catholic in those days it was not simply decided, that had to go through sufficient cruel methods. It is considered, that the song helped young Catholics to by heart hard belief in their religion. The listed gifts have obscure meaning. “True Love” (“My Loyal love”) – It’s the receiver of gifts – any spiritualist. “Partridge in a pear tree” – Symbol of Jesus Christ, as this bird, pretending to be wounded, takes the predators away from the nest with birds. During this the word Christ is referred in evangels from Luke: Jerusalem, Jerusalem…! How many times I wanted to collect your children, as the bird with the nest under its wings, but you did not wished.
Two Turtles – This is Old and New Testament. Three French hens – Vera, Nadezda, Lubov or as to holy trinity, but according to the book of Assay Collins “History of the most loving Christmas songs” French hens presented themselves valuable gifts of The three wise men: gold, frankincense and Myrrh. Four calling birds – Four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Five golden rings - Five books of Moses; Six geese a-laying-Six days of creation; Seven swans a-swimming-Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit and seven spiritual secrets. Eight maids a-milking-Eight beatitudes (here could be recollected a famous saying “Blessed are the poor in Spirit” and so on). Nine ladies dancing-Nine fruits of the Spirit (“Fruit is the spirit of: love, happiness and peace…”); Ten Lords a-leaping-Ten commandments; Eleven pipers piping-Eleven apostles (excluding Judas who did fail); Twelve drummers drumming-Twelve articles of Apostles' Creed.
There exists three French versions of this song, and some gifts mentioned in the song also indicated in French. For example, hen was taken to England from France only in 1770s. With the time process the song text has deformed for some extent. From the beginning the gift for the Fourth day of the Christmas was colly, but not calling birds (“Colly” denotes “carbon black”, means the topic went about the black robin). “Five Golden Rings” – This is not five rings – but five birds “with a band on the neck”, such as pheasants. Such a way, first seven gifts – this is different birds.
Some interpret “The Twelve Days of Christmas” like – everyday is presented not only previous gifts, but new also, it means for 12 days singer gets 12 partridges, 22 turtle doves and so on. Total number of listed gifts, in such a way, comes to 364 pieces. On account of the interest of the enthusiastic people it was decided to count, how much it will cost now this list. The sum comes rather not small – around $75000.
“Twelve Days of Christmas” prevails for so long time, that a big quantity not simple Caver, but also parody. Even many singers change text for their necessities, as Frank Sinatra and his off springs. In their version gifts are of more utility: neckties, games, books, scarves and so on.
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