5 Gold rings

Five gold rings! Everyone loves singing this famous Christmas song, especially this middle verse. But did you know that the famous 'five gold rings' middle part, where you emphasise the 'oo-oold' in gold, wasn't added to the original tune until almost a hundred years later?

The song is a traditional song dating from around the early 1840's and the 12 days are the days from Christmas Day to the day of the epiphany on the 6th January.

Probably beginning as a parlour game in which the participants compete to remember and recite a long list of gifts, the song is now one of the most performed and recorded of all Christmas songs.

So next time you sing, 'five gold rings' remember that this is an old and traditional song that has bought joy to millions for generations, just like H.Samuel.