The Calendar of the Twelve Days
Christmas Eve
Several weeks before the start of the holiday was always a period of fasting and preparation behind the scenes called Advent. Many traditions keep their houses undecorated until Christmas Eve. Some only have a big supper after midnight on Christmas Eve when the house is revealed in all its magic and glory.
In some old traditions, the Twelve Days was seen as a sort of Sabbath: prepare ahead of time and then spend the Twelve Days as you would an old fashioned Sunday.
Some people believe that each of the Twelve Days corresponds to one the coming twelve months: they sometimes use the Twleve Days to predict the weather or finances other circumstances in each month of the year ahead depending on what happens during the Twelve Days---Christmas being 'January' and December 26th is 'February' etc. See how you can use the time to predict the year, write it and seal in an envelope until the Twelve Days next year.
Are the days after our modern Christmas a let-down? Start your Christmas later: shop modestly earlier in the year, hide gifts away, keep wrappings out of sight, and live simply. Stay away from holiday shows early in the month, and reschedule events for some time during the Twelve Days: store up things to do until after the 25th---and don't decorate until December 24.
Then let the Twelve Days unfold as their own special season; see shows and go to events, have special dinners---after its over, its really over for another year. Make a ritual of taking down the decorations and making all the magic disappear. Christmas should not last beyond January 6---and it must not begin at Labor Day!
Here is a good book for Christmas Eve; it is one of the most profound books in the English language. The story has been adapted and abused for many years, but this is the original tale. Its a wild story, full of melodrama and not always pretty. Its a roller coaster ride of emotions, from deep dark into the bright light and its not like any movie version you've ever seen---its the story of amazing grace, the man who was lost and found his way again
http://www.literature.org/authors/dickens-charles/christmas-carol/chapter-01.html
Print it out to read when you have time: and read it aloud! The sheer craft of the words is powerful magic.
The Winter Solstice
Annual celebrations around the Solstice are at least twice as old as Christmas and many if not
most of our traditions are rooted in those times; the grandmother of all winter celebrations, the Solstice is an annual astronomical event that occurs whether we like it or not, for as long as there has been a planet earth. Here is a very beautiful and well informed site about the Solstice on December 21
http://www.candlegrove.com/solstice.html
At the same moment as the Winter Solstice occurs in the Northern Hemisphere, the Summer Solstice is happening below the equator--- don't forget to look into the very ancient 'summer Christmas' called Midsummer Day on June 24, a sort of mirror image to balance out your year. Between these two yearly events, the entire planet has cause to observe and celebrate.
Kwaanza is a beautiful and meaningful observance of community during this season, beginning the day after Christmas, with symbolism of its own:
Celebrating Kwaanza
http://www.geocities.com/ninure/kwaanza.html
FIRST DAY of CHRISTMAS--December 25--the Partridge in a Pear Tree-- Christmas Day
For the duration of the Twelve Days it was always the custom to keep the house scrubbed and tidy: you never know what visitors might come knocking on your door. It might be an angel---it might be the holy family looking for shelter or three kings. Keep the cupboard filled with food and sweets, and cheerful drink on hand; its bad luck to turn anybody away.
The weather is often stormy at this time of year: The Twelve Days became a time to look for dark forces loose in the outdoors---dangerous weather, ghostly hunters, mischievious fairies. People scurried through the dim and dark countryside looking for the next warm fire.
These Twelve Days are a journey through the darkest part of the year, moving from hope to hope, leaving despair behind with stops on Christmas and New Year, moving always toward the bright revelations of Twelfth Night.
SECOND DAY--December 26-- the first day of Kwaanza--Two Turtledoves-- is St. Stephen's Day: he was the first Christian martyr. In Ireland, children parade around with a toy bird on an evergreen branch singing the 'Wren Song,' and begging for pennies and food. The Wren traditions are so ancient and mysterious that they may have been performed since prehistoric times. Here is a link for more information:
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/LeftBank/9314/stevewren.html
Second Day is also Boxing Day in the British Commonwealth: this is the day when boxes of food, gifts or money are given to people who work for you---gardeners, rubbish collectors, postal workers, and to those in need. Boxing Day is a good day to go see a panto, or a special movie.
http://www.its-behind-you.com/main.html
THIRD DAY---December 27--Three French Hens---the second day of Kwaanza-- is St. John the Evangelist Day: the story is that St. John was once given a cup of poisoned wine, but he made the sign of the cross over it before he drank, and was saved: have a cup of warm spiced wine, tonight.
FOURTH DAY--December 28--Four Calling Birds--the third day of Kwaanza-- is Holy Innocent's Day, Dyzemas or Childermas: this is the day when mad King Herod heard that the coming King of the Jews had been born, so he sent his men out to slay all boys under two years of age. In English folk tradition Dyzemastide is a very unlucky time: don't start any new work, stay home and sit quietly by the fire!
In folk tradition, its the day when all the youngest
boys in a household are treated with special honors and are allowed to playfully beat and tease the adults with decorated evergreens until they get candy and gifts. In earlier times, it was the boys who would receive a ritual spank first thing every Innocent's Day morning to remind them of the martyrs suffering...unless they escaped first!
At church, they would elect a boy to be a bishop for the day and he would have a good time commanding the deacons and vergers and canons, ordering feasts and revelry.
Supposedly a traditional food is Childermas Pudding: some kind of fresh white snow, shaved ice, vanilla pudding or ice cream (to represent the pure innocence of childhood) is served with a spoonful of red raspberry or strawberry syrup or cordial to represent the blood of the innocent martyrs. Well, probably tastes good anyway.
As Teresa Ruano at Candlegrove.com says, this might be a good day to remind ourselves to give a donation to community group that deals with abused children.
FIFTH DAY--December 29--Five Gold Rings--the fourth day of Kwaanza-- is St. Thomas a Becket, who was martyred at Canterbury Cathedral in England by four men sent by the King who was once Becket's best friend.
SIXTH DAY--December 30--Six Geese a Laying--the fifth day of Kwaanza--
In the dark midwinter, when the sunlight fades early and fast and the wind brings cold and damp for so many hours of dark, its no wonder people found reasons to stay indoors, telling stories---these were called Winter's tales, often full of fantastic characters and magic told around the crackling fire.
Outside---who knows what lurked in the shadows of midwinter? Some saw black dogs, or wolves: others were chased by fairies; Herne the Wild Hunter was seen thundering through the forest with his pack of dogs and hunters. What travelers would survive these nights to knock on your door? Surely anybody who came knocking must be a special visitor!
This is the Sixth Day of Christmas: its your day. Volunteer at a community event, if you can: in these dark and uncertain days of midwinter, you never know who needs you---or whom you might need.
SEVENTH DAY-- December 31--Seven Swans a Swimming--the sixth day of Kwaanza--is New Year's Eve: called St. Basil's Eve, is good for telling fortunes for the coming year.
Young women put gingerbread men under their pillows so they they might dream about their future husbands
EIGHTH DAY--is New Year's Day--Eight Maids a Milking--the seventh and last day of Kwaanza-- St. Basil's Day---also is the day when the Jewish baby Jesus would have been formally circumcised. In Scottish tradition this is Hogmanay, once a bigger celebration than Christmas which was a strictly religious holiday to the conservative Scots.
The first Monday after New Year is called 'Handsel Monday'---its the day you give token gifts to friends and family to assure prosperity and good luck in the new year.
In the old Christian tradition, this was the Feast of Fools: somebody would be elected to play the Bishop for a day, and the church went riot with all kinds of crazy pranks and jokes on the churchmen---the church put a stop to that hundreds of years ago, but if you want, this was the day for it.
NINTH DAY--January 2--Nine Ladies Dancing--your day! Take a long walk with all of your family. Go ice skating.
The Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Days are a time of renewal; just as the earth is sleeping under its mantle of cold, ready to wake up in a few months when the sun comes around, we can do the same. The busy period of Christmas and New Year are past and you can now relax and plan the coming year. These three days are a separate season unto themselves in the Twelve Days: they are the darkest, quietest part of this twelve day journey, a time away from time.
January Second is also the Feast of St. Macarius, patron of confectioners and chefs! Pastries, candy and a feast of delicious food are required.
TENTH DAY--January 3--Ten Lords a Leaping-- The Feast of St. Genevieve, patroness of the City of Paris, of secretaries, actors and lawyers. Send a special greeting to any secretaries, actors or lawyers you know.
ELEVENTH DAY--January 4--Eleven Drummers Drumming--your day! Just take a nap by the fire.
TWELFTH NIGHT--January 5--Twelve Pipers Piping-- the Vigil for the Epiphany begins at sunset. Also Edward the Confessor's Day. This is called Three Kings Day or Little Christmas Eve, or Wasail Eve and in the old days was the festive celebration of the holiday (Christmas Eve being mostly a solemn religious observance). The night shines with brilliant stars against a deep blue sky: diamonds, silver, sapphires, cobalt.
http://www.schooloftheseasons.com/twelfthnight.html
This is a night of magical revelations: a night of unexpected discoveries and surprises. Nothing is as it first appears. A beggar might be a great king! Masquerades are popular on this night, and good natured practical jokes. All secrets are hidden in fun, only to be revealed at the last moment.
Our holiday fruitcake used to have a holiday all its own: thats Twelfth Night. The cake is full of precious spices and expensive fruits which symbolise the gifts brought to the manger: gold, frankincense and myrrh. The candied fruits are like precious jewels in a richly decorated golden gift box made of fine cake.
On this night you have a special feast with a big fruit cake served at the end: the cake had a hard dried bean baked in it along with other small silver trinkets---but whoever got the bean was made the King of the party: this may be the origin of the term 'bean feast' which means any kind of elaborate dinner.
Twelfth Night is also for Apple Howling, the time when you go out to serenade your apple trees for a good harvest, and drum on pots and pans or fire unloaded guns to frighten the evil spirits; pour apple cider around their roots in a toast and put piece of your Twelfth Cake in the branches for good luck. "Stand fast root!" you bellow at the tree a midnight "Bear well, top! Pray God send a howling good crop!"
In many countries you exchange your gifts on this night.
[THIRTEENTH DAY] January 6th--The Feast of the Epiphany: this is when the Magi arrived at Bethlehem revealing that Messiah had been born. The sun rises, all his glory revealed.
You've survived the twelve day journey through the deepest darkest part of every year! This day is like the new dawn after a long dark night: it marks the last of the Twelve Days of Christmas. in the old days the first Monday following Twelfth Night was Plough Monday when farmers went back to the fields after a twelve day rest (an occasion for morris dancing and cadging pennies and drinks from the neighbors by itself)
You can have a good time burning your Christmas greens in a bonfire, and putting away the decorations. After Twelfth Night it should all be completely over and gone from the landscape in all but memory---that's the beauty and the magic: its only here for a short while and you have to enjoy it before its gone. Who knows if it will be back?
Questions?
phbp@webtv.net
The next page has a few ideas about how to celebrate The Twelve Days----
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