5 golden rings . . . here we go again --

well -- if you were disappointed yesterday to find out that you had been singing the song wrong all these years because it's "colly birds" instead of "calling birds" -- hang onto your hat.

the 5 golden rings this refers to is not 5 lovely pieces of jewelry at all -- but in fact it refers to the ring on the neck of a pheasant.  (are you starting to see a pattern here -- birds?)

pheasants are native to asia and were brought to europe where they were released into the wild and thrived.  pheasants were a prized bird and were not only tasty, bet were linked to royalty and nobility.  legends link the pheasant to jason and the argonauts bringing back golden birds (later believed to be pheasants).  from roman times onward pheasants were reserved for royalty.

so -- we learn something new again today.  the 5 golden rings here refer to the 5 ring-necked pheasants, a dish that was probably served at the kings 12th - night festivities.

the 5 gold rings symbolize the first 5 books of the old testament in the christian tradition.

i can assure you that tomorrow's gift - 6 geese a layin' is in fact geese, surprise, more birds (hehe).  so be sure to stop back in tomorrow to learn of their story.