Debbie’s Neighborhood

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On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

... a partridge in a pear tree . Why?

In Greek and Roman mythology, pears are sacred to three goddesses: Hera (Juno to the Romans), Aphrodite (Venus to the Romans), and Pomona, an Italian goddess of gardens and harvests.

The ancient Chinese believed that the pear was a symbol of immortality. (Pear trees live for a long time.) In Chinese the word li means both "pear" and "separation," and for this reason, tradition says that to avoid a separation, friends and lovers should not divide pears between themselves.

However, more relevant to our pear tree partridge:

Perdix, "Lord of the Pear Trees", was one of Athens most sacred kings, when he was cast into the sea to die, his goddess, Athena, carried him to heaven, in the form of a Partridge.

When the legend of "The Partridge in a Pear Tree", was made into a Christmas Carol, the symbol of Christ was substituted for Lord Perdix.