what do the twelve days of christmas represent

The twelve days of Christmas represent the 12 days from Christmas Day (December 25th) to the Epiphany (January 6th). During this period, Christians traditionally celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ and the arrival of the wise men who brought gifts to the baby Jesus. The gifts in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" are symbolic of the gifts brought by the wise men to Jesus: a partridge in a pear tree symbolizes the gift of gold, two turtle doves represent the gift of frankincense and myrrh, and so on.