History, spiritual significance of carols explored

MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
If you've ever wondered about the origins of a favorite Christmas carol, you'll enjoy "O Come Emmanuel" by Gordon Giles (Paraclete Press, 176 pages, 14.95). The publication is subtitled "A Musical Tour of Daily Readings for Advent and Christmas."
Like most devotionals, the book offers daily readings and meditations. It goes from the beginning of December to the Feast of the Epiphany on Jan. 6. The centerpiece of each day's reading, however, is an exploration of the history and spiritual significance of a beloved piece of Christmas music.
Many songs will be familiar ("Hark, the Herald Angels Sing," "Good King Wenceslas"), but readers will also discover unfamiliar treasures, such as a translation of the words of the "Christus Vincit," an 11th-century chant.
The book also offers an explanation for "The Twelve Days of Christmas." The pear tree may symbolize the cross, for example, and the partridge Christ's sacrifice -- the bird is known for protecting its young. The song, published in 1780, was primarily "a singing game in which anyone who forgot a verse had to pay some kind of forfeit, such as kissing someone or performing some absurd action."