Our
CareTaker wanted to help me take out our Christmas Decor today. I told
her, we keep our decor after the Feast Of the Three Kings- the last day
of the Christmas Season. Of the 10 houses in our neighborhood, seven
took our their Christmas lights on December 26.
This
incident inspired me to search for more information on the 12th day of
Christmas. Here's a summary of what I learn from the Internet.
"Most people today believe that the twelve days of Christmas start on
December 12th or 13th and run through Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
But in fact, the first day of Christmas is December 25th and the final
day is January 5th. Thus, for hundreds of years the Christmas holidays
didn’t begin until
Christmas Eve and didn’t end until Epiphany.
https://youtu.be/vOwyMIoG5KI
Why were these twelve days important? These dozen days were tied to
more than just the teaching of the Catholic Church. A host of other
denominations also celebrated the twelve days of Christmas. Some
denominations celebrated Christmas in January and began to count the
twelve days then. But whenever they began, the counting of the days
became an important facet of each holiday season. Even in the Dark Ages,
in some Eastern European churches, the twelve days of Christmas meant
attending daily church services.
For Christians who lived during this
extremely difficult age, the twelve days were a time of re dedication and
renewal. It was also a period when small, simple, and usually symbolic
gifts of faith were given to children. Thus, in both coded poems and
public worship, the twelve days were considered a holy period.
For many Christians today, even the recognition of the twelve days of
Christmas has been lost . . . for two reasons. The first is that when
Epiphany lost out to Christmas as the day of giving gifts, many simply
quit celebrating the twelve-day observance. The other reason is based
more on the change in the fabric of culture than on overlooking the
Christian holiday of Epiphany.
In ancient times, when most societies were rural, few people worked in
the dead of winter. It was a time when many were spending long, dark
days inside their homes, looking forward to winter’s chill giving way to
the spring thaw. So devoting a dozen days to prayer, reflection, and
attending church was not a huge undertaking. Yet with the coming of the
Industrial Age and the regular year-round work schedules it brought,
finding time to continue the activities that had been traditionally
associated with the twelve days of Christmas became all but impossible
for most people.
So the passing of the twelve-days custom probably had as much to do
with “progress” as with anything else. As fewer and fewer churches and
families participated in the tradition, it was all but lost. Yet in the
obscure poem that was later turned into a popular carol, “The Twelve
Days of Christmas” live on. And the twelve days described are actually a
wonderful and complete picture of the Christian faith.
The “true love” mentioned in the song is not a sweetheart but the
Catholic Church’s code for God. The person who receives the gifts
represents anyone who has accepted Christ as the Son of God and as
Savior. And each of the gifts portrays an important facet of the story
of true faith.
So, just a silly song? On the surface maybe, but in reality, a
refreshing reminder of the essential elements of Christian faith. The
twelve days of Christmas may no longer be a widely recognized holiday
tradition, but the days were an important bridge that connected
persecuted believers of the past with the whole story of God’s plan. In
the complicated world of today, a trip back to the not-so-distant past
when Christians celebrated the twelve days of Christmas would only
enhance the meaning of Christmas for everyone".
For more information read:
https://www.crosswalk.com/special-coverage/christmas-and-advent/the-twelve-days-of-christmas.html
