who sings the twelve days of christmas

The twelve days of Christmas is a traditional English Christmas carol. The lyrics were first published in 1780, but the origins of the song date back to the 16th century. It's believed to have originated from a memory game, similar to "I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing with me", where each verse adds another item to the list. The twelve days of Christmas refer to the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany, which is the day when the Magi arrived to visit the baby Jesus.