The Origins of the Twelve Days of Christmas
The Twelve Days of Christmas form one of the key elements of the festive season, yet the precise dates and significance of this period are often misunderstood, because the Twelve Days begin on Christmas Day and not before. The last day is the 5th January, known as Twelfth Night. and following day is the Epiphany, an important Christian feast marking the end of Christmastide. In Western Christian tradition, the Twelve Days are as follows:-
Day 1 – 25 December: Christmas Day
Day 2 – 26 December: St Stephen’s Day/Boxing Day
Day 3 – 27 December: St John the Evangelist
Day 4 – 28 December: Holy Innocents
Day 5 – 29 December: St Thomas Becket
Day 6 – 30 December: The Holy Family
Day 7 – 31 December: New Year’s Eve (formerly St Sylvester)
Day 8 – 1 January: The Naming and Circumcision of Jesus
Day 9 – 2 January: St Basil and St Gregory
Day 10 – 3 January: The Holy Name of Jesus
Day 11 – 4 January: Minor commemorations
Day 12 – 5 January: Twelfth Night
Early Christian Roots
The Twelve Days reflect the earliest attempts of the Church to reconcile local and regional celebrations of the Nativity and the Epiphany. By the fourth century, Western Christianity fixed Christmas on 25 December and Epiphany on 6 January, creating a twelve-day interval.
Medieval and Early Modern England
In medieval England, the entire period was one of festivity. Work was suspended, manorial obligations were relaxed and households of held feasts, games and followed religious traditions. Twelfth Night, in particular, developed into an important celebration involving music, plays and activities.
Over time, the Twelve Days traditions, legends and folk customs became associated with each day, many of which differ from region to region. The idea that the time between Christmas and Epiphany possessed a special spiritual or mystical meaning was widespread across Europe.
The Carol
The well-known carol The Twelve Days of Christmas, was first published in the eighteenth century and reinforced familiarity with the period. The song originally functioned as a memory game, although various symbolic interpretations have been proposed in later centuries, most scholars agree that the carol’s primary purpose was secular and playful.
Religious Practice
In many Christian traditions, Christmastide is observed liturgically throughout the Twelve Days. Some churches encourage decorations to remain in place until Epiphany, and festive services are held across the christmas period.
British Customs
In Great Britain, cultural practice has become more varied. Many households remove decorations on either Twelfth Night (5th January) or Epiphany (6th January), depending on local or personal custom.