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"On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me, two turtledoves." In 16th century England, Catholics were forbidden by royal decree to teach the catechism to their children, so they disguised their teachings in metaphors and put them to a tune. The popular holiday song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is said to have come about during this time. According to tradition, the two turtledoves in the song represent the two turtledoves offered at Jesus' dedication in the temple. Another tradition says that the two turtledoves are symbols of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.