The Twelve Days of Christmas
The official “Christmas season” of twelve days begins Christmas Day and extents through Epiphany, January 6. The traditional carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” reflects this idea, as does another name associated with Epiphany: Twelfth Night (made most famous by the William Shakespeare play of the same name). Twelfth Night may refer to either the night of Ephiphany itself, or Epiphany “Eve,” the night before, depending on whether one counts Christmas Day among those twelve days.
Epiphanytide: Season and Traditions
In some traditions, Epiphany is the day to remove Christmas decorations (and some related superstitions consider it bad luck to keep them up past Twelfth Night). Some other traditions keep decorations up throughout “Epiphanytide” — the liturgical period lasting from Epiphany to Candlemas. Candlemas honors when Jesus was presented to the Temple in Jerusalem, according to the account in Luke 2: 22 – 40, and is traditionally celebrated on February 2. This makes the Christmas season in these traditions a full 40 days!
Other religious traditions extend Epiphanytide until just before Lent (the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday, which is called Transfiguration Sunday).
Twelfth Night/Epiphany celebrations and customs can include things like feasts, gifts, and carols commemorating the Wise Men. Another common custom is house blessing, such as chalking one’s door.
Epiphany’s Meaning in the Christian Calendar
No matter what traditions you celebrate, Epiphany represents the revelation of Jesus to the Gentiles, and the physical manifestation of Jesus as God Incarnate. The word epiphany is from the Greek epiphanea, which means “manifestation” or “striking appearance.”
Do you celebrate Epiphany in your household? What customs or traditions do you follow that represent the arrival of the Three Kings in Bethlehem and their honoring of the Christ Child?
Epiphany image by Lawrence OP, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0