27 December: French hens

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Three French hens:

1. In some versions of the song, it’s ‘Three Fat Hens’ rather than French ones.

2. Why French hens, though? Possibly because the Latin name for the domestic Chicken is Gallus gallus, and the Roman na
   me for France was Gaul, and the rooster has long been a symbol of France.

3. A rooster was often a decorative ornament on church bell towers in France during the Middle Ages, and the Gallic Rooster was an important symbol during the French Revolution.

4. There are about 40 breed of chicken that originated in France and were prized as dinner birds.

5. One of these is called the Bresse, This breed has Blue legs, a White body and a Red comb, ie the colours of the French flag, and was known as 'queen of poultry.'

6. La Fleche is another ancient French breed from the Loire region of western France, renowned for its delicate flesh.

7. Another is The Faverolles, a breed developed in the 1860s in north-central France, in the vicinity of the villages of Houdan and Faverolles.

8. Finally, the Houdan breed is one the oldest French breeds, and was named after the town of Houdan to the west of Paris.

9. Another possible explanation is a story about King Henri IV and the poule au pot, whose declared aim when he brought peace to France was that the peasants would be able to cook a chicken every Sunday.

10. Another theory about the 12 Days of Christmas is that each gift has a religious meaning, and the 3 French hens represent the three gifts of the Spirit that abide: Faith, Hope and Love.