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A lot of debate and discussion is prevalent regarding the issues which are encapsulated in the question, "What are the 12 days of Christmas?" In fact, even the Christians who do not belong to the liturgical customs of the Church find it baffling to answer. As is often believed, the twelve days of Christmas are not the twelve days prior to and leading to Christmas but rather the period between 25th December and 6th January, that is, the span between Christmas till the commencement of Epiphany. |
However, in accordance with certain Christian customs, the 25th December evening initiates the twelve days of Christmas but it is the next day or 26th December that is reckoned to be the First Day of the twelve days of Christmas.
In fact, there is a lot of complexity about the inception and the time period of the twelve days of Christmas, and they widely vary in relation to the divergences between unlike church customs and calendars. Interestingly, there is a good deal of difference even in the ways in which these twelve days of Christmas are celebrated by diverse cultures. For instance, agreeing by the traditions of the Western Church, the arrival of the Magi or the Wise Men with gifts for little Jesus marks the day of Epiphany. But according to Hispanic and Latin American culture, 6th January is regarded as the 'Day of the Kings' or the 'Three Kings Day'. Moreover, in the above mentioned cultures, it is 6th January which is reckoned to be the day for exchanging presents even though Christmas celebrations are held on the 25th of December. However, it is noteworthy that abiding by a dissimilar religious calendar, the Eastern Orthodox Church lionizes Christmas on 7th January and celebrates Epiphany, better known as Theophany on the 19th of January.
It was only in the 16th century that Scandinavian and a few European cultures affected a fusion of some fetes, including a couple of pagan ones and the twelve days of Christmas. The festivals which blended with the traditions of the twelve days of Christmas were usually those which were connected to the dispelling of malefic forces to welcome the coming of a fresh new year.
Popularly it is the 6th of January which is observed as the terminal day of this season prior to Epiphany, in other words, the Twelfth Night of the twelve days of Christmas. However, there are multiple variations even here but the note of commonality was struck by the fact that the Twelfth Night, almost in every culture ceased with the remotion of the Christmas embellishments followed by gala banqueting. Commemorating the Magi, the English and French Twelfth Night feasts included wine or ale along with the King's cake in their extensive spread. Here too, there emerges a disparity between the customs of varied cultures, as for some cultures the King's Cake was an integral aspect of the observance of the day of Epiphany.
Are you still perplexed with the query as to "What are the 12 days of Christmas?" and what is the significance that lies behind them? To further get your doubts cleared and know more about the twelve days of Christmas, keep flipping through the pages of Christmasonnet
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