A Mathematical Portrayal of a Christmas Carol for Nigerian Basic Education: The Mathematics in the Twelve Days of Christmas

International audience The full adoption of Western Christmas traditions is gradually establishing a new social pattern for many educated families in Nigeria. Among the several Christmas carols prevalent in the country, Twelve Days of Christmas stand out for children and appears to be a daunting challenge they are often very proud to master. This article explores the cultural richness of this carol along with its mathematical significance for basic education in Nigeria. Evidently, when poetry-based artifacts such as Twelve Days of Christmas are deployed in instructional contexts, it allows team building, aids recall, reinforces mathematical thinking process, connects to history and the real world, and humanize mathematics for students at all levels.