Search

The Online Encyclopedia and Dictionary

 
     
 

Encyclopedia

Dictionary

Quotes

 

Twelve days of Christmas

These are the twelve days beginning on night of Christmas (December 25) and ending on Epiphany (January 6). In the Middle Ages this period was one of continuous feasting and merrymaking, which climaxed on Twelfth Night, the traditional end of the Christmas season.

Contrary to popular belief, Christmas is not the "first day of the Christmas." Instead, we might better describe them as the twelve days after Christmas. By ancient reckoning, days and nights were counted separately, and the important night was often the night before, not the night of, the celebration (hence modern traditions of Christmas Eve and All Hallow's Eve, or Halloween). The "twelve days" count actually begins with the eve of December 25, the "first night." The day of December 26 is the "first day," the eve of December 26 the "second night," and so on. The famous Twelfth Night is the eve of Epiphany, and the twelfth day is Epiphany itself.

During the twelve days of Christmas, traditional roles were often relaxed, masters waited on their servants, men were allowed to dress as women, and women as men. Often a Lord of Misrule was chosen to lead the Christmas revels. Some of these traditions were adapted from older, pagan customs, including the Roman Saturnalia. Some also have an echo in modern day pantomime where traditionally authority is mocked and the principal male lead is played by a woman, while the leading older female character, or 'Dame' is played by a man.

This period is referred to in the song Twelve Days of Christmas

The contents of this article are licensed from Wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. How to see transparent copy