Oakville Beaver | Thursday, December 22, 2022 | 18 insidehalton.com Ty) HNO MU p Matt Sullivan Sales Representative 905-580-9196 Ken Wedlake Broker 905-339-7773 anley.ca Richard Li Broker 416-402-8866 | 905-464-7653 R James Stanley, B. Com Sales Representative 905-464-2640 ima Fournier im Sales Representative 399-9! Real Estate Advertorial The origins of “The 12 Days of Christmas" Christmas carols can be heard far and wide in the weeks leading up to. Christmas Day. “The 12 Days of Christmas” is one of the most recognizable carols, and for good reason, as the popular song can trace its history back several centuries. Researchers have traced the earliest printed version of the poem on which the song is based all the way back to 1780. That's three years before the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the American Revolutionary War. The song has long been suspect- ed to have been a way for Catholics in Britain to teach their children the catechism, as the 1700s was a con- troversial period for Catholicism in the country. However, no documen- tary evidence exists in support of that theo- ry, and many historians feel it is inaccurate. Others indicate that, while 1780 is likely the first time the poem was printed, the poem is likely much older than that, with origins potentially in France or Scotland. What is known is that the version many Matt Sullivan Eo mmatrosullvanvealestate ca sullivanrealestate.ca g people recognize today, namely in song form, can be traced to the early twentieth century, when English singer and composer Frederic Austin first popularized the melody for the song. Austin performed that version of the song beginning in 1905, and it was first published in 1909. (MCC) Anita Sullivan 7 anita@sullivanrealestate.ca sullivanrealestate.ca Season’s = Greeting from our family to yours Ai "a S 0 000001 ROYAL LEPAGE 0010000001 Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd, Brokerage 251 North Service Rd W, Oakville, ON LEM 3E7