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Celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas – One Day at a Time

Did you know that the Twelfth Day of Christmas is also known as Women’s Christmas in Ireland? Nollaig na mBan in the Gaelic).

On this day in Ireland, men were to take over the household duties or take down the tree and other Christmas decorations, while mothers, sisters, daughters and friends would meet up and share a drink over the last of the Christmas cake.

“But Jiminy Crickets, it’s after December 25th! Is it not too late for the 12 Days of Christmas?” you say.

Not to fear, Chanticleerians! The 12 Days of Christmas begins on December 26th! And it continues to the 6th of January – Three Kings Day. The four weeks leading up to Christmas are known as Advent.

Some say that December 25th is the first day of Christmas, but we are going with the medieval date of the 26th because revelry could not take place on the 25th as it was a holy day. And the Twelve Days of Christmas are all about revelry!

So if you haven’t finished wrapping presents, sending out those cards, and baking cookies—don’t worry. Just get it done.

(Note from Kiffer: I still have presents to wrap and cookies to bake, so I will extend the Christmas holidays like the Swedes do until St. Knut’s Day on January 13th. This is the day when the children can eat all the gingerbread decorations on the Christmas tree. Then, they take the tree down and outside and dance around it. We burn our Christmas tree on Summer Solstice.)

Happy Holidays to You from the Chanticleer Team! 

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 (Chanticleer’s favorite #justsaying)

Two turtle doves

And a partridge in a pear tree 

Twelve Drummers Drumming by Caroline Búzio

Interesting Notes about the Twelve Days of Christmas

  • King Richard II of England (1367-1400) organized a tournament that drew knights from across Europe to compete in during the twelve days of Christmas. Each evening after the jousting and sword matches, there would be dancing and feasting. The peasants could watch the matches because they didn’t have to work the fields during the Twelve Days of Christmas.
  • It was also custom that the lord provides a feast for all who are working his lands. Of course, the workers were expected to bring gifts of farm produce to the lord’s manor.
  • In colonial America, many parties took place during this time where finding romance (or a potential spouse) could happen. Also, many weddings took place during the Twelve Days.

Interesting Notes about the Twelfth Day 

  • It is considered not the best for good luck in the new year, taking your tree down before January 7th, Epiphany.
  • Twelfth Day of Christmas is also the beginning of Mardi Gras. The Mardi Gras season is celebrated between Epiphany and Fat Tuesday (the Tuesday before Lent begins).
  • Shakespeare wrote the Twelfth Night (first performance Feb. 2, 1602), a comedy mistaken identities that tegins  on the twelfth night’s celebration – “If music be the food of love, play on.” Twelfth Night, Act 1 Scene 1

Religious Significance of the Twelfth Day – Epiphany

  • The Three Wise Men visit the baby Jesus by following a guiding star aka as Three Kings Day: Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar according to the Gospel of Matthew. Adoration of the Magi
  • In many cultures, it is on Three Kings Day that presents are exchanged and opened and feasts are held.
  • The Twelfth Day of Christmas is also when Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding at Cana (the first miracle of Christ).
  • Jesus was baptized by John on the Twelfth Day of Christmas

Dom Prosper Gueranger in his Liturgical Year states that it was the Church’s tradition for many centuries that these three events occurred on the same day, January 6.

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, Chanticleer brings to me…

Twelve Months of Community

That’s a wrap for us on the Twelve Days of Christmas, but we’re still committed to bringing you excellence in as many forms as we can. Whether that’s our regular blog, with writing tips, our marketing tools like Editorial Book Reviews and the CIBAs, or our competitively priced Editorial Services that keep satisfied writers coming back, we’re here to help you on your Author’s Journey. Whatever it is you need, you can reach out to us at info@ChantiReviews.com and we’ll be there to help!

Our goal is to discover today’s best book, and your book deserves to be discovered! Thanks for sticking with us on this 12 Days of Christmas, and we look forward to keeping up regular writing tips and content in the New Year.

Warmly,

Kiffer, Sharon, David, Scott, Argus, Rochelle, and the whole Chanticleer Team!