The Ten Lords A-leaping
were the Ten Commandments.
Ten lords a-leaping? $4,414.
The ten lords a-leaping most likely refers to leaping dancers who performed leaping dances
between courses at feasts. This type of wild and strenuous dancing probably evolved from more ancient
war and fertility dances and would have been a popular form of entertainment for this type of function.
Unlike the nine ladies dancing in the previous stanza where the dancers appear to have been guests dancing for enjoyment, these were professional dancers brought in to entertain the guests while they dined.
Both King Henry VIII and his daughter Queen Elizabeth I had professional dance troupes perform as
part of the entertainment at feasts.
How writers connect these dancers to the 10 commandments is beyond my
state of mind. But...Christmas sells and people clamor for anything to do
with the objects concerning this Christmas folk lore known as the
12 days of Christmas.
next: Eleven pipers piping
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