The twelfth day of Christmas was known as Twelfth Night. It marked the night before the feast of the Epiphany, the coming of the wise men to visit the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. Twelfth Night might have signalled the end of Christmas, but people celebrated it with great feasts, games and plays.
Early Christianity: In the early days of Christianity, there wasn't a single, fixed date to celebrate the birth of Jesus. The 12-day period served as a way to encompass different traditions and celebrations surrounding Jesus' birth and his manifestation to the Magi (Epiphany).
Date. In many Western ecclesiastical traditions such as the Lutheran and Anglican denominations of Christianity, Christmas Day is considered the "First Day of Christmas" and the Twelve Days are 25 December – 5 January, inclusive, making Twelfth Night on 5 January, which is Epiphany Eve.
The 12 days of Christmas is the period in Christian theology that marks the span between the birth of Christ and the coming of the Magi, the three wise men. It begins on December 25 (Christmas) and runs through January 6 (the Epiphany, sometimes also called Three Kings' Day).
The 12 days of Christmas is the period in Christian theology that marks the time between the birth of Christ and the coming of the Magi or the three wise men. It begins on 25 December (Christmas) and runs through to 6 January (the Epiphany, sometimes also called Three Kings' Day).
The Messed Up Origins™ of 12 Days of Christmas | Nursery Rhymes Explained - Jon Solo
What date do you take Christmas decorations down?
However, some mark 6th January as Twelfth Night, counting the 12 days after Christmas Day, which is where the confusion stems from. 'Twelfth Night is the night before Epiphany and is the night, tradition says, when Christmas decorations should be taken down,' a Church of England spokesperson told The Telegraph.
The theory that it's bad luck to leave decorations up beyond Twelfth Night (around 6 January) is a modern take on the tradition, but doing so used to be normal practice in the medieval period.
The twelve days represent the time that it took for the three wise men or kings to travel to Bethlehem to visit baby Jesus and offer him gifts. In certain Eastern Orthodox denominations, it is instead a celebration of the time from Christ's birth to his baptism.
How many gifts are given after the 12th day of Christmas?
We now know that the number of gifts received on day number n is (n² + n) ÷ 2. So on day twelve, for example, there are (12² + 12) ÷ 2 = 78 gifts. Quite a lot, considering how many of them are people or animals or trees!
The date of the birth of Jesus is not stated in the gospels or in any historical sources and the evidence is too incomplete to allow for consistent dating. However, most biblical scholars and ancient historians believe that his birth date is around 4 to 6 BC.
Twelfth Night (5th January) is when all Christmas Decorations should be removed so as not to bring bad luck upon the home. If decorations are not removed on Twelfth Night, they should stay up all year.
Why do we take Christmas decorations down on Twelfth Night? The Christian tradition dictates that Christmas trees and decorations should be taken down on either Twelfth Night or Epiphany to avoid bad luck after the season of merriment.
While the original songwriter is unknown, the English version first appeared in a children's book in 1780. Dr Neil said that in 1979, Canadian hymnologist Hugh McKellar floated the idea that the song had a secret code — a theory she said "had merit" but could not be proven.
Is it bad luck to leave Christmas decorations up after 12th night?
Keep in mind: It's believed that keeping Christmas decorations up for too long after the Twelfth Night can bring bad luck. If you don't have big New Year's Eve plans, consider it a convenient time to pack away ornaments, wrap up string lights and dispose of your Christmas tree.
Christians who celebrate the Twelve Days may give gifts on each of them, with each of the Twelve Days representing a wish for a corresponding month of the new year. They may feast on traditional foods and otherwise celebrate the entire time through the morning of the Solemnity of Epiphany.
Many places throughout the UK carry out the Twelfth Night tradition called "Wassailing." On Twelfth Night a lot of people gather to drink to apple trees and to each others health. Each year Twelfth Night is celebrated on London's bankside riverside.
So what happens when you put this all together? So there you have it, the 12 Days of Christmas encompasses a total of 808 legs – that's certainly a fact to remember and be armed with when attending your next pub quiz.
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . a partridge in a pear tree. The partridge in a pear tree represents Jesus, the Son of God, whose birthday we celebrate on the first day of Christmas. Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge, a bird that will die to protect its young.
The twelfth day of Christmas, 5th January, is the Eve of Epiphany – Epiphany being on 6th January. It marks the end of Christmas celebrations, and is typically when people traditionally take down their Christmas trees, wreaths and decorations.
Under Emperor Constantine, the Church in Rome began celebrating Christmas on Dec. 25 in 336. Some say the date was chosen to outshine the Sol Invictus and pagan celebrations.
What happens if you don t take your Christmas decorations down?
This Twelfth Night is historically the time of year that your decorations should be taken down. Leaving your tree, tinsel and lights up any longer than this - or even taking them down before - is thought to bring bad luck for the New Year.
Do Christmas decorations come down on 6th or 7th of January?
Epiphany is the official end of the festive season on 6th January each year. It's an ancient Christian feast day celebrating the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, and the arrival of the Three Wise Men.
