Though Christmas is celebrated all over the world for a single day that is the 25th of December but in the church the celebration goes on for Twelve Days. The history of the twelve days of Christmas is a very interesting one. The Twelve Day celebration starts from the evening after of December26 and ends on January 6 with the feast of epiphany.
The Song Twelve Days of Christmas
- The Twelve Days of Christmas is also the title of a familiar Christmas carol that promises a series of wonderful gifts on each day of the festival. The song contains twelve verses each describing a gift offered "by my true love" on one of the twelve days of Christmas.
Significance of the Twelve Days of Christmas
– The twelve days of Christmas interprets the meaning of the Holy Incarnation in our lives.
The Biblical Story
- Bible represents the creation of six days by six geese and seven swans. They are the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The Three Feasts held within the Twelve Days
– December 26 is celebrated as the feast of St. Stephens, the foremost disciple of Christ remembered for his generosity towards the needy. The Feast of December 27 is commemorated on the name of St. John the Evangelist, one of the twelve disciples of Lord Christ. On December 28, takes place the feast of The Holy Innocents, in memory of the children murdered by Herod.
The Epiphany
– On Epiphany the twelve days of Christmas come to an end. Epiphany commemorates gospel-Christ's manifestation in three ways – the visit of the magi, the baptism of Jesus and the turning of water into wine. Christians sprinkle holy water on their doorways in this day.
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