[Salvation]

And I am supposed to believe that rather than Catholic tradition?

You must have a thing about this. Why don't you believe ein the Twelve Days of Christmas?

[Salvation]

Why don't you believe in the Twelve Days of Christmas?

[Oztrich Boy]

And I am supposed to believe that rather than Catholic tradition?

No but as The Twelve Days of Christmas points out

The key flaw in this theory is that the differences between the Anglican and Catholic churches were largely differences in emphasis and form which were extrinsic to scripture. Although Catholics and Anglicans used different English translations of the Bible (Douai-Reims and the King James version, respectively), all of the religious tenets supposedly preserved by the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" (with the possible exception of the number of sacraments) were shared by Catholics and Anglicans alike:

Conversely, none of the important differences that would obviously distinguish a Catholic from a Protestant is mentioned here

Despite what the nuns taught you, the practice of Chriatianity did not stop in England just because Pope Paul IV ordered English Catholics to commit treason or face excommunication

[freebilly]

I'm a Christian. I'm also reasonably educated. Just because I get an email claiming something is true is no reason for me to believe it. Logic tells me that there's no difference in the Bible of Catholics and the Bible of Anglicans. Why would Catholics have to refer to Christ as "a partridge in a pear tree" instead of referring to him the way Anglicans did-- as Christ? Why would Catholics have to refer to the first five books of the Bible as "5 Golden Rings" instead of referring to them the way that Anglicans referred to them?

Offer me some actual evidence that "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was code for keeping Catholic tradition alive in the 16th & 17th Centuries and I may believe you. To cite an email that makes the rounds every year as proof is ludicrous.

Think.

[Stubborn]

I think that the "12 days" is a marvelous anthem to Christmas - don't let the nay sayers ruin it.

At my house, the tree and decorations stay up till at least the 6th of Jan for the feast of the Epiphany.

At my house, we follow an old polish custom of marking all the door posts with the initials of the Three Kings, separated by a cross, using blessed chalk on the door posts above the doors. Looks like this G+M+B 05

The story goes something like this: On Jan 6, when the three wise men are on their way to Bethlehem, if your doors are marked, they will pass through your house and give their blessing to your family and each room that is marked. Is it true? Will they actually pass through your house? I don't know but its a wonderful custom and IF it is true, well, we can never have too many blessings!

Thanks for your posts!