Twelve
Days of Christmas
The 12 Days of Christmas
.
The “12 Days of Christmas” are now most famous as a
song about someone receiving lots of presents from his “true love.”
However, to get to the song there had to be the days
to start with!
The 12 Days of Christmas start on Christmas Day and
last until the evening of the 5th January - also known as Twelfth Night.
The 12 Days have been celebrated in Europe since
before the middle ages and were a time of celebration.
The 12 Days each traditionally celebrate a feast day
for a saint and/or have different celebrations:
Day 1 (25th December):
Christmas Day – celebrating the Birth of Jesus.
Day 2 (26th December also
known as Boxing Day): St Stephen’s Day. He was the first Christian martyr
(someone who dies for his faith). It is also the day when the Christmas Carol “Good
King Wenceslas” takes place.
Day 3 (27th December): St
John the Apostle (One of Jesus' Disciples and friends)
Day 4 (28th December): The
Feast of the Holy Innocents - when people remember the baby boys which King
Herod killed when he was trying to find and kill the Baby Jesus.
Day 5 (29th December): St
Thomas Becket. He was Archbishop of Canterbury in the 12th century and was
murdered on 29th December 1170 for challenging the King’s authority over
Church.
Day 6 (30th December): St
Egwin of Worcester.
Day 7 (31st December): New
Years Eve (known as Hogmanay in Scotland). Pope Sylvester I is traditionally
celebrated on this day. He was one of the earliest popes (in the 4th Century).
In many central and eastern European countries
(including Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic,
Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland and
Slovenia) New Years Eve is still sometimes called “Silvester.”
In the UK, New Years Eve was a traditional day for “games”
and sporting competitions. Archery was a very popular sport and during the
middle ages it was the law that it had to be practiced by all men between ages
17-60 on Sunday after Church! This was so the King had lots of very good
archers ready in case he need to go to war!
Day 8 (1st January): 1st
January – Mary. The Mother of Jesus.
Day 9 (2nd January): St.
Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, two important 4th century
Christians.
Day 10 (3rd January): Feast
of the Holy Name of Jesus. This remembers when Jesus was officially “named” in
the Jewish Temple. It was celebrated by different churches on a wide number of
different dates!
Day 11 (4th January): St.
Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American saint, who lived in the 18th and 19th
centuries. In the past it also celebrated the feast of Saint Simon Stylites
(who lives on a small platform on the top of a pillar for 37 years!).
Day 12 (5th January also
known as Epiphany Eve): St. John Neumann who was the first Bishop in
American. He lived in the 19th century.
Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night was a big time of celebration with people
holding large parties. During these parties, often the roles in society were
reversed with the servants being served by the rich people.
This dated back to medieval and Tudor times when Twelfth
Night marked the end of “winter” which had started on 31st October with All
Hallows Eve (Halloween).
At the start of Twelfth Night the Twelfth Night cake
was eaten. This was a rich cake made with eggs and butter, fruit, nuts and
spices. The modern Italian Panettone is the cake we currently have
that's most like the old Twelfth Night cake.
A dried pea or bean was cooked in the cake. Whoever
found it was the Lord (or Lady) of Misrule for night. The Lord of Misrule led
the celebrations and was dressed like a King (or Queen).
This tradition goes back to the Roman celebrations
of Saturnalia.
In later times, from about the Georgian period
onwards, to make the Twelfth Night “gentile,” two tokens were put in the cake
(one for a man and one for a women) and whoever found them became the the “King”
and “Queen” of the Twelfth Night party.
In English Cathedrals during the middle ages there
was the custom of the “Boy Bishop” where a boy from the Cathedral or monastery
school was elected as a Bishop on 6th December (St Nicholas Day) and had the
authority of a Bishop (except to perform Mass) until 28th December.
King Henry VIII banned the practice in 1542 although
it came back briefly under Mary I in 1552 but Elizabeth I finally stopped it
during her reign.
During Twelfth Night it was traditional for
different types of pipes to be played, especially bagpipes. Lots of games were
played including ones with eggs.
These included tossing an egg between two people
moving further apart during each throw - drop it and you lose and passing an
egg around on spoons.
Another popular game was “snapdragon” where you
picked raisins or other dried fruit out of a tray of flaming brandy!
The first Monday after Christmas feast has finished
was known as “Plough Monday” as this was when farming work would all begin
again!
In many parts of the UK, people also went Wassailing on
Twelfth Night.
Twelfth Night is also known as Epiphany Eve. In many
countries it was traditional to put the figures of the Wise Men/Three Kings
into the Nativity Scene on Epiphany Eve ready to celebrate Epiphany on
the 6th January.
It's also traditional to take your Christmas
decorations down following Twelfth Night.
Twelfth Night is also the name of a famous play
written by William Shakespeare. It's thought it was written in 1601/1602 and
was first performed at Candlemas in 1602, although it was not
published until 1623.
http://www.whychristmas.com/customs/12daysofchristmas.shtml
http://www.whychristmas.com/customs/12daysofchristmas.shtml
RELATED POSTS:
The True Meaning Of
Christ-Mass .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Did Christmas originate from the pagan
festival known as Saturnalia?
http://puricarefiles.blogspot.com/2016/12/christmas-and-pagan-festival-saturnalia.html
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The Claus That Refreshes
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The Claus That Refreshes
“The Twelve Days of Christmas”
from a French song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1UoMu_izFQMyMusic2Die4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VE3Q5ak8ZsPaulAtredies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyEyMjdD2ukchildrenlovetosing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGtAa3klQNkmusicfactorymusic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I06kscgilx0musicfactorymusic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8CdfLAM7-oCarlaDestefano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXdKyfYrMYwTurtleInteractive
lyrics
On the first day of Christmas
my true love sent to me
a partridge in a pear tree.
my true love sent to me
a partridge in a pear tree.
On the second day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Two turtle doves,
and a partridge in a pear tree.
my true love sent to me
Two turtle doves,
and a partridge in a pear tree.
On the third day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
my true love sent to me
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the fourth day of Christmas,my true love sent to me
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the
fifth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
my true love sent to me
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the
sixth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
my true love sent to me
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the
seventh day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
my true love sent to me
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the
eighth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
my true love sent to me
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the ninth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
my true love sent to me
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the tenth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
my true love sent to me
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the eleventh day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
my true love sent to me
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.
On the twelfth day of Christmas,my true love sent to me
Twelve drummers drumming,
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!
p-chron p-files
No comments:
Post a Comment