@UQ_News counts down to Christmas

Move over partridge. It’s the brush turkey’s time to shine. The University of Queensland is counting down to Christmas with its very own “Twelve Days of Christmas” carol.
The UQ version, reflecting aspects of life at UQ’s campuses, has begun releasing its daily installments on their news page and via @UQ_news on Twitter.

Renowned UQ historian and classical scholar Professor Alastair Blanshard (@AlastairBlan) said he was eagerly anticipating UQ’s re-creation of the carol.
“Few carols capture the spirit of the festive season like ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’,” he said.
“Each day brings new surprises. As the excitement builds, it is a carol that leaves you asking ‘What next?’ or ‘How could you top that?’
‘It is also a very inclusive carol. It embraces the whole community.
“It doesn’t let you forget that while the ten lords may be ‘a-leaping’ and the nine ladies dancing that someone still has to do the farm work.
“I always feel slightly sorry for the eight maids ‘a-milking.’ Everybody else seems to be having such a good time.’
Professor Blanshard said he liked the celebratory aspect of the carol.
“For a song about gifts, it’s surprisingly unmaterialistic. The ‘gold rings’ aren’t the climax of the carol, they only occur midway through the piece.
“The real joy is to be found in the final party with its pipers piping and drummers drumming.
“It is a nice reminder that this season shouldn’t be about the presents that we receive, but the time that we spend in the company of family and friends.
“That said, I certainly won’t be complaining if five gold rings find their way into my stocking.”
@UQ_News will tweet a new installment of the 12 days of UQ Christmas until Christmas Day.
The University of Queensland professor said the 12 days of Christmas traditionally ran from December 25 to January 5, in a period that was celebrated with feasting, games, and gift-giving.
“Shakespeare wrote his comedy Twelfth Night to celebrate and capture the riotous fun of the season.”
The timing of UQ’s countdown has been adjusted to suit campus life.
Read UQ’s version of the 12 Days of Christmas carol at https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2015/12/uqs-12-days-of-christmas