On the Ninth Day of Christmas
68On the Ninth Day of Christmas...Nine Ladies Dancing
The nine ladies dancing evokes images of music and dancing which were a big part of the celebrations at this period of history in England.
The term ladies probably refers to noble ladies as in a Lord and his Lady or a lady in waiting (high born ladies who waited on the queen at court – not servant women).
In this case ladies would be women dancing socially and not professional entertainers. For the most part women were not entertainers in this era so it is unlikely that this refers to a troupe of dancing women.
Another interpretation of the nine ladies dancing would be high born ladies dancing for the entertainment of the men much as people today will often provide impromptu entertainment at parties and other social gatherings.
Again, the emphasis is on celebrating and having fun during this nearly two weeks of non-stop nightly partying.
Nine Ladies Dancing
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Links to My Other Hubs on the Twelve Days of Christmas
- The Twelve Days of Christmas
The Twelve Days of Christmas is a popular carol that dates back to the Middle Ages. Being much older than other popular Christmas carols, this one appears to have evolved rather than being composed and... - On the First Day of Christmas
Why a partridge in a pear tree? A partridge is not a small bird that can be easily placed in a cage in the kitchen. And the song pre-dates dwarf fruit trees so we are talking about a good sized tree which... - On the Second Day of Christmas
Doves are a common symbol for love and peace, two Christmas themes. Turtle doves are a common species of dove found in France and England and they were often kept in cages as pets during the Middle Ages and... - On the Third Day of Christmas
The three French Hens probably refer to a variety of chicken from France. There are many varieties of chicken and in the period during which this carol developed there were three main varieties of chickens... - On the Fourth Day of Christmas
In the discussion dealing with the Partridge in a Pear Tree in the first stanza of the song it was pointed out that the gift of a partridge in a pear tree may have come about because of a mix-up between... - On the Fifth Day of Christmas
Unlike the four collie birds in the previous stanza who just had their name changed to a different, and non-existent, species of bird, the five rings in this stanza have, in singers' and illustrators' minds,... - On the Sixth Day of Christmas
Geese were among the first birds to be domesticated. Our Neolithic ancestors discovered that, rather than spending days searching for animals to kill or nests to rob, it was easier to capture them live and... - On the Seventh Day of Christmas
On the seventh day the lover sends seven swans. Throughout history swans have been associated with royalty and the swan is often used on royal symbols and other decorations. Swans are also found in myths... - On the Eighth Day of Christmas
The eight maids a-milking addresses two of the major themes of fifteenth and sixteenth century English celebrations and parties during the Christmas holidays food and romance. What is a feast or... - On the Tenth Day of Christmas
The ten lords a-leaping most likely refers to leaping dancers (called morris dancers) who performed leaping dances between courses at feasts. This type of wild and strenuous dancing probably evolved from... - On the Eleventh Day of Christmas
At the big feasts held during the holiday celebrations the guests were often entertained by musicians, dancers, jugglers, etc. as well as singing and dancing themselves. Bagpipes and their younger cousins... - On the Twelfth Day of Christmas
With the twelfth day we have reached the end of the song and have arrived at the last day of Christmas known as Twelfth Night on which the partying and feasting continued. Twelfth Night is the night before...
These have been a lot of fun, Chuck. Will you go right thorugh 12th Night and the approach to Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras? Too much maybe, but your hubs are definitely A1 with me!
Chuck Hub Author 4 years ago
Patty Inglish, MS - thanks for your comment. Last year I published separate hubs for each of the 12 days in the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. Since they were not published consecutively, I included the entire song with links to the hubs for each of the verses at the end of each day's article. You can click on the links to get all of the 12 days.
I didn't have time to publish hubs on Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras last year but may get to that this year. I did, however, publish a hub on Candlemas http://hubpages.com/hub/Candlemas_The_End_of_the_C which falls 40 days after Christmas and is the official end of the religious Christmas season, and a hub about Groundhog Day http://hubpages.com/hub/The_Origin_of_Groundhogs_D which, strange as it may seem, is related to Christmas.