The Thirteen Days of Yule

This familiar carol dates back to the 15th century. Although we now associate them exclusively with Xmas, it was not always so. Carols were sung at any festive occasion in the old days. This Scottish version offers one more day of festive giving and also offers more exotic gifts than either the French or English versions. Imagine receiving an Arabian baboon, or three hinds a merry hunting, or three plovers, or a gray goose. And most of the gifts come in threes, which brings us even closer to the pagan times when cumulative verses like this are said to have originated.