this post was submitted on 22 Nov 2023
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There’s pretty good evidence suggesting “five golden rings” isn’t jewelry but instead a reference to either the yellowish rings around a pheasant’s neck or to “goldspinks,” an old name for a pretty little bird called the goldfinch.
Not only that, there's reason to believe that every verse in this 18th century carrol is about a bird. Specifically, birds eaten at medieval feasts. Though some of the verses are harder to decode than others.
https://www.birdspot.co.uk/culture/the-birds-of-the-twelve-days-of-christmas
That's amazing, though I wonder what day 8 is