The Story Behind 'The 12 Days of Christmas'

(Image credit: Xavier Romero-Frias/Wikimedia Commons)

You may have heard of the Christmas carol 'The 12 Days of Christmas' which, for some, may be one of the most annoying carols because of the endless, repetitive nature of its lyrics.

Some internet sources suggest that the song had been used as a secret code for Christianity, however, there have been a few refutations to that theory.

Whatever the origins of the song is, it is an undisputable fact that the song has changed so much that tracing its origins may be a herculean task. It has been suggested that the song was French in origin, and that it was possibly based on a game where players had to remember the lyrics.

27 Christmas Traditions and the Bizarre Stories Behind Them

(Image credit: lasse bergqvist/Unsplash)

As Christmas draws ever nearer, several people must be taking part in certain traditions that their family or their culture has had during this time of year.

For example, the Christmas tree is a distinctly pagan tradition. However, the Roman Catholic Church found a way to incorporate it into the Christmas tradition.

Learn about the different Christmas traditions and their origins on All That's Interesting.

Doctors Caution Lovers About Higher Risk of Penile Fracture During Christmas

(Image credit: freestocks/Unsplash)

Christmas is the season for joy and giving, in more ways than one. Researchers have found an interesting trend of an increased frequency of people suffering from penile fractures during the holiday season. The researchers suspect that the festive nature of the holiday sets the mood for a lot of intimacy between lovers.

But this isn't the only reason why penile fractures are so abundant during the season. Doctors may also be considering the way couples engage in intercourse as a possible factor. In particular, doing the reverse cowgirl may pose a higher risk of breaking the penis than say, missionary style. -via Metafilter

Photos: Christmas in London 1980s

(Image credit: Peter Marshall/Flashbak)

Christmas has always been a busy season almost everywhere around the world. People are out buying presents, decorations, and ingredients for Christmas dinner. Stores also become quite festive as they get their facades outfitted for the season with tinsel garlands, shiny ornaments, Christmas trees, and Santa Claus. Here's London during Christmas time in the 1980s as photographed by Peter Marshall.

(Image credit: Peter Marshall/Flashbak)

(Image credit: Peter Marshall/Flashbak)

(Image credit: Peter Marshall/Flashbak)

The Origins of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

(Image credit: Tim Gouw/Unsplash)

The beloved red-nosed reindeer has, as the song goes, gone down in history. Everybody knows the Christmas carol featuring Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, but where did Rudolph actually come from?

Would you believe that it all actually began with a marketing gimming in the 1930s? It was meant to bring more people to the Montgomery Ward department store during the holiday season.

Before the song was even penned down, there was a children's book which the department head of the store thought of giving away for free to any child with their parents coming to the store.

Over 2 million copies of the book was ordered by the 800 stores of Montgomery Ward nationwide. But, of course, what further drove sales and traffic was the song that we all know and love.

Read the full story of how Robert L. May came up with the original Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer story, and how he asked his brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, to come up with a song adapting the story on Open Culture.