The early North American colonists brought their version of the Twelve Days over from England, and adapted them to their new country, adding their own variations over the years. For example, the modern-day Christmas wreath may have originated with these colonials. [20] [21] A homemade wreath would be fashioned from local greenery, and fruits, if available, were added. Making the wreaths was one of the traditions of Christmas Eve; they would remain hung on each home's front door beginning on Christmas Night (first night of Christmas) through Twelfth Night or Epiphany morning. As was already the tradition in their native England, all decorations would be taken down by Epiphany morning and the remainder of the edibles would be consumed. A special cake, the king cake, was also baked then for Epiphany. This role reversal happened in the church too. Members of the choir were chosen to be ‘Boy Bishops’ on 6 December and they were given the same powers as a real bishop. They had new robes, took church services and preached sermons. They were often given gifts or money as a reward for doing the job, and if a Boy Bishop happened to die, they would be given a full burial as a bishop. Some people complained that they misused their power, but Boy Bishops were protected by a law. Their rule came to an end on 28 December, and the real bishops were in charge once again. The illustrator Hilary Knight included A Firefly in a Fir Tree in his Christmas Nutshell Library, a boxed set of four miniature holiday-themed books published in 1963. [94] In this rendition, the narrator is a mouse, with the various gifts reduced to mouse scale, such as "nine nuts for nibbling" and "four holly berries". [95] Later released separately with the subtitle A Carol for Mice. [95] The second day of Christmas in Tudor England was the Feast of St Stephen. He was the first Christian martyr (a person killed defending their Christian faith) and was known for helping the poor. Today, most people might have heard of St Stephen in a Christmas song – 'Good King Wenceslas': For the Eastern Orthodox, both Christmas and Epiphany are among the Twelve Great Feasts that are only second to Easter in importance. [13]

Hill, Christopher (2003). Holidays and Holy Nights: Celebrating Twelve Seasonal Festivals of the Christian Year. Quest Books. p.91. ISBN 9780835608107. This arrangement became an administrative problem for the Roman Empire as it tried to coordinate the solar Julian calendar with the lunar calendars of its provinces in the east. While the Romans could roughly match the months in the two systems, the four cardinal points of the solar year--the two equinoxes and solstices--still fell on different dates. By the time of the first century, the calendar date of the winter solstice in Egypt and Palestine was eleven to twelve days later than the date in Rome. As a result the Incarnation came to be celebrated on different days in different parts of the Empire. The Western Church, in its desire to be universal, eventually took them both--one became Christmas, one Epiphany--with a resulting twelve days in between. Over time this hiatus became invested with specific Christian meaning. The Church gradually filled these days with saints, some connected to the birth narratives in Gospels (Holy Innocents' Day, December 28, in honor of the infants slaughtered by Herod; St. John the Evangelist, "the Beloved," December 27; St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, December 26; the Holy Family, December 31; the Virgin Mary, January 1). In 567, the Council of Tours declared the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany to become one unified festal cycle. In the United States, Christmas Day is a federal holiday which holds additional religious significance for Christians. [23] The twelfth day of Christmas was known as Twelfth Night. It marked the night befoFestive atmosphere during the Twelve Days of Christmas The Twelve Days of Christmas, also called Christmastide ("Christmas time") and sometimes referred to as Twelvetide, is another name for the festive Christmas season celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a period of celebration, feasting and Saints' Days. It starts on Christmas Day , December 25, and ends on January 5 of the following year, known as Twelfth Night or Epiphany Eve. Durieux, A.; Bruyelle, A. (1864). Chants et Chansons Populaires du Cambresis. Cambrai. p.127. hdl: 2027/uc1.a0000757377. {{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link) a b c Kittredge, G. L., ed. (July–September 1917). "Ballads and Songs". The Journal of American Folk-Lore. Lancaster, PA: American Folk-Lore Society. XXX (CXVII): 365–367. Taken down by G. L. Kittredge, Dec. 30, 1877, from the singing of Mrs Sarah G. Lewis of Barnstaple, Mass. (born in Boston, 1799). Mrs. Lewis learned the song when a young girl from her grandmother, Mrs. Sarah Gorham. Christopher Labadie, "The Octave Day of Christmas: Historical Development and Modern Liturgical Practice" in Obsculta, vol. 7, issue 1, art. 8, p. 89 Sharp, Cecil J.; Gilchrist, A. G.; Broadwood, Lucy E. (November 1916). "Forfeit Songs; Cumulative Songs; Songs of Marvels and of Magical Animals". Journal of the Folk-Song Society. 5 (20): 277–296.

The Twelve Days of Christmas, also known as Twelvetide, is a festive Christian season celebrating the Nativity of Jesus. In some Western ecclesiastical traditions, " Christmas Day" is considered the "First Day of Christmas" and the Twelve Days are 25 December to 5 January, inclusive, [1] with 6 January being a "thirteenth day" in some traditions and languages. However, 6 January is sometimes considered Twelfth Day/Twelfth Night with the Twelve Days "of" Christmas actually after Christmas Day from 26 December to 6 January. [2] For many Christian denominations—for example, the Anglican Communion and Lutheran Church—the Twelve Days are identical to Christmastide, [3] [4] [5] but for others, e.g. the Roman Catholic Church, Christmastide lasts longer.

a b Rimbault, Edward F. (n.d.). Nursery Rhymes, with the Tunes to Which They Are Still Sung in the Nurseries of England. London: Cramer, Beale & Co. pp.52–53. hdl: 2027/wu.89101217990. . Undated; date of 1846 confirmed by this catalogue from the Bodleian Library (p. 112), and an advertisement in the Morning Herald ( "Christmas Carols". Morning Herald: 8. 25 December 1846. ).

Bow women’ walk in medieval costumes at the Epiphany Befana parade in Florence, Italy on the 6th January. Tetrahedral (or triangular pyramidal) numbers The 12th tetrahedral number is 364. Accessed August 2020 Day Seven (New Years Eve): Pope Sylvester I is celebrated on this day as he saw in the beginning of the Christian Roman Empire. Instead, the real 12 Days of Christmas starts on Christmas Day – a tradition that began in Europe in the Middle Ages – and it’s also known as Twelvetide which marks the festive season for celebrating the Nativity of Jesus Christ. Frank Sinatra and his children, Frank Sinatra Jr., Nancy Sinatra, and Tina Sinatra, included their own version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" on their 1968 album, The Sinatra Family Wish You a Merry Christmas. [96]While a fascinating theory, it has been debunked as a potential lyrical origin story as there is no supporting evidence or documentation to suggest this was ever the case.