<P> "The Twelve Days" was a Christmas game . It was a customary thing in a friend's house to play "The Twelve Days," or "My Lady's Lap Dog," every Twelfth Day night . The party was usually a mixed gathering of juveniles and adults, mostly relatives, and before supper--that is, before eating mince pies and twelfth cake--this game and the cushion dance were played, and the forfeits consequent upon them always cried . The company were all seated round the room . The leader of the game commenced by saying the first line . (...) The lines for the "first day" of Christmas was said by each of the company in turn; then the first "day" was repeated, with the addition of the "second" by the leader, and then this was said all round the circle in turn . This was continued until the lines for the "twelve days" were said by every player . For every mistake a forfeit--a small article belonging to the person--had to be given up . These forfeits were afterwards "cried" in the usual way, and were not returned to the owner until they had been redeemed by the penalty inflicted being performed . </P> <P> "Twelve days of Christmas" was adapted from similar New Years' or spring French carols, of which at least three are known, all featuring a partridge, perdriz or perdriole, as the first gift . The pear tree appears in only the English version, but this could also indicate a French origin . According to Iona and Peter Opie, the red - legged (or French) partridge perches in trees more frequently than the native common (or grey) partridge and was not successfully introduced into England until about 1770 . Cecil Sharp observed that "from the constancy in English, French, and Languedoc versions of the' merry little partridge,' I suspect that' pear - tree' is really perdrix (Old French pertriz) carried into England"; and "juniper tree" in some English versions may have been "joli perdrix," (pretty partridge). Sharp also suggests the adjective "French" in "three French hens", probably simply means "foreign". </P> <P> In the northern counties of England, the song was often called the "Ten Days of Christmas", as there were only ten gifts . It was also known in Somerset, Dorsetshire, and elsewhere in England . The kinds of gifts vary in a number of the versions, some of them becoming alliterative tongue - twisters . "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was also widely popular in the United States and Canada . It is mentioned in the section on "Chain Songs" in Stith Thompson's Motif - Index of Folk - Literature (Indiana University Studies, Vol. 5, 1935), p. 416 . </P> <P> There is evidence pointing to the North of England, specifically the area around Newcastle upon Tyne, as the origin of the carol . Husk, in the 1864 excerpt quoted above, stated that the carol was "found on broadsides printed at Newcastle at various periods during the last hundred and fifty years", i.e. from approximately 1714 . In addition, many of the nineteenth century citations come from the Newcastle area . </P>

What did my true love sent to me on the sixth day of christmas