Twelve Days of Christmas

Contrary to the popular belief, the Twelve days of Christmas do not begin before Christmas; rather, they begin on the day of Christmas and are the twelve days from December 25th. The first day is thus December 25th and the twelfth night is January 6th. The 12 days of Christmas is an age old tradition that has been celebrated since times immemorial. With the passage of time, there have been many changes in the way of celebration of the 12 days of Xmas.

Churches in different regions have modified their ways of celebrating the 12 days of Christmas. In some places for instance, December 26th is Saint Stephen's day while in other places, it is celebrated on December 27th. The only thing that remains unchanged is the celebration of the birth of Lord Jesus Christ, which is celebrated with much joy and enthusiasm around the world on December 25th. There is no definite reason for the twelve day celebration of Christmas, though many believe that it may be the number of days that the three Kings of Magi took to reach Bethlehem.

Each day has its own significance and the last day, or rather night is usually celebrated on January 6th. On this day, the Christmas Tree and the decorations are taken down and a grand feast is organized in every Christian house. Some people cook something traditional and different for each of the twelve days while some bake a cake on the twelfth day. A song by the same name is very popular and is sung by little children during the celebrations. The true essence of Christmas is seen in the celebration of these 12 days of sheer joy and festivity.