12th Night and 12 Days of Christmas History
Here is also a selection of information from that website which shows the 12th night and 12 days of Christmas is a lot more than just when one should take the Christmas decorations down.
The Twelve Days of Christmas
The Twelve Days of Christmas traditionally begin the day after Christmas Day, now known as Boxing Day, and end with Twelfth Night.
Twelfth Night is the evening of the 5th January and all day of 6th January ( Old Christmas Day).
When are the Twelve Days of Christmas? The Twelve Days of Christmas are the last six days of the old year (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 December ) and the first six days of the New Year (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 January). The Twelve Days of Christmas did not start on Christmas Day because Christmas Day was seen as a holy day and not one for 'partying' on.
What traditionally happened during the Twelve Days of Christmas?
The twelve days of Christmas would have been a most welcome break for the workers on the land, which in Tudor times would have been the majority of the people. All work, except for looking after the animals, would stop, restarting again on Plough Monday, the first Monday after Twelfth Night.
During the Twelve Days, people would visit their neighbours sharing and enjoying the traditional minced pie.
The Origin of the Twelve Days of Christmas Song
There is great debate as to the meaning of the carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas. One theory why we sing the song dates back to the time when Roman Catholics were not permitted to practice their faith openly (1558 until 1829). The song was written as a way of teaching young catholics and had two levels of meanings: a surface meaning and a hidden meaning known only to their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality, which the children could remember.
The "true love" of the song refers to God.
The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
Two Turtle Doves were the Old and New Testaments.
Three French Hens stood for Faith, Hope and love.
The four Calling Birds were the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, luke and John.
The five Golden Rings recalled the Torah or law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
The six Geese A-laying stood for the six days of creation.
Seven Swans A-swimming represented the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: Prophecy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership and Mercy.
The eight Maids A-milking were the eight beatitudes.
Nine Ladies Dancing were the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control.
The ten Lords A-leaping were the ten commandments.
The eleven Pipers Piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
The twelve Drummers Drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in The Apostle's Creed.
Twelfth Night
Today, the Twelfth Night after Christmas means the day(!) we take down the decorations. Twelfth Night is the evening of the 5th January and all day of 6th January.
It was common in the olden days to start a special day at 6pm the previous evening and to have the Night or Eve coming before the Day, as in Christmas Eve or Night coming before Christmas Day and New Year's Eve before New Year's Day.
The actual date for Twelfth Night has caused much confusion for years and still does today. The fact that Twelfth Night is also part of Twelfth Day adds to the confusion.
Christmas to Epiphany
The period between Christmas and Epiphany (January 6th) was traditionally the time to celebrate. It was a time of feasting and a time when the rich were supposed to share what they had with the poor (Boxing Day).
A Time for Parties and to play Tricks
In England, people used to have parties on Twelfth Night and it was traditional to play practical jokes. These included tricks such as hiding live birds in an empty pie case, so that they flew away when your startled guests cut open the crusts (as in the nursery rhyme "Sing A Song of Sixpence" goes, "…the pie was opened and the birds began to sing".
Twelfth Night Cake - The forerunner of the modern Christmas Cake
In England, the Twelfth Night cake was a rich and dense fruitcake which traditionally contained a bean. If you got the bean then you were King or Queen of the Bean and everyone had to do what you told them to do.
The Twelfth Cake was popular during the Georgian and Regency periods
There were also other items in the cake:
If you got a clove you were a villain.
If you got a twig you were a fool.
If you got a rag you were a tarty girl.
Plays
Twelfth Night itself was a traditional day for plays or "mummings," and it is thought that Shakespeare's play took its name from the fact that it was first performed as part of Twelfth Night celebrations about 1601.
The Yule Log
The Yule log, lit on Christmas day, remained burning until Twelfth Night in order to bring good fortune to the house for the coming year. Its charred remains were kept, both to kindle the next year's Yule log, as well as to protect the house from fire and lightning.
Traditional Foods
Traditional Twelfth Night foods served in England include anything spicy or hot, like ginger snaps and spiced ale. Hence why so many items containing ginger are considered Christmasfare
January 6 is Twelfth Day
Twelfth Day is the last day of Christmas. It marks the end of the Christian festivals and is the traditional time to take down the decorations. As its name tells us, it is the sixth of January - just twelve days after Christmas Day.
This day is the feast of Epiphany. On this day we remember the visit of the Wise Men to the infant Jesus.