Everything you need to know about the Christmas tradition of Twelfth Night
Although most of the world considers 25 December to be the date that Christmas is celebrated, for many this is just the beginning of the period building up to Twelfth Night.
Known as the 12 days of Christmas, the observance also lends its name to the dozen-verse song which has become a mainstay of the festive period.
Here’s what you need to know about the observance – from differences in its date and the traditions around Christmas decorations to the origins of William Shakespeare’s famous play.
When is Twelfth Night?
Different Christian traditions define the date of Twelfth Night as either the 5 or 6 of January, depending in part on how the 12 days of Christmas are calculated.
For many, Christmas Day marks the “first day”, which would give Twelfth Night its earlier date, while others believe the 12 days of Christmas begin on Boxing Day.
Matters are further confused by the consideration of whether Twelfth Night concludes the 12th day after Christmas itself, or falls the evening before.
As Professor Nick Groom, of the English department of the University of Exeter, concludes: “Twelfth Night is Twelfth Day’s Eve – we still talk about Christmas Eve as being Christmas Night.”
The observance is also widely considered to mark the coming of the Epiphany, a Christian feast day falling on 6 January which means different things depending on which church you follow.
It originated in the East where Christians celebrate the birth and baptism of Jesus. The Western Church began following it in the 4th century as the day the wise men were led by the star to visit baby Jesus, according to the story of the Nativity.
Why do people take their Christmas decorations down then?
According to tradition, Christmas trees and decorations should be taken down on either Twelfth Night or Epiphany to avoid bad luck after the season of merriment.
The belief has developed in modern times, with Professor Groom explaining: “It was basically the Victorians who decided that Christmas decorations should be taken down after 12 days because they wanted to get everybody to work.
“They fixed it as the season of Christmas in the 19th century.”
Indeed, before this unfortunate abridging of the festive season, the Tudors continued celebrating until 1 February.
This date marked the eve of Candlemas, a Christian festival marking the day the infant Jesus was presented to the God in the Temple at Jerusalem.
What’s the connection with Shakespeare’s play?
As well as singing Christmas carols and attending church, Twelfth Night also has a traditional association with feasting and merriment.
During the age of William Shakespeare, this would have meant a decidedly heady occasion of music, masked balls and misrule.
It was in this context that he wrote his famous play Twelfth Night (or What You Will), with the raucous comedy of twins Viola and Sebastian intended as fitting entertainment to close the Christmas season.
The first record of its performance comes from Candlemas of 1602 to bring down the curtain on Tudor festive celebrations, but some believe it was staged on Twelfth Night itself the year before.
What are the lyrics to The 12 Days of Christmas?
The first three verses to the song go as follows:
On the first day of Christmas 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
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
From then on, one more item is added each time, until the final verse becomes:
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
12 drummers drumming,
11 pipers piping,
10 lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four colly birds,
Three French hens,
And a partridge in a pear tree
