The 12 Days of Christmas

Here in the south -- back when I was a child -- it was common to "keep Christmas"  from December 25 through Jan 6, which was traditionally noted as "Old Christmas".   I remember we used to put our the tree quite late in the month, but leave it up, lights on, until Jan 5th or 6th.   On the NC Outer Banks, Old Christmas is still quite a big deal.
 
Despite modern cultural differences, I still find these twelve days a hiatus from regular life, restful and refreshing. 

Jan 6 is the beginning of Epiphany on the Church liturgical calendar and being brought up in a Presbyterian church may have something to do with my family's keeping of the 12 Days tradition. 

It is also true that the settlers in my "home" part of North Carolian were mostly Scottish Presbyterian or English Anglican.

In the Colonial period, this 12 day period was filled with visits and parties among family and friends, and a popular time for weddings as well.   I suppose part of this tradition stems from this being the one time of year on a farm when work is rather light, there isn't much rain so the creeks done rise (important if you travel long distances by horseback) and we don't typically have snow to impede travel either.  (If you live in NC you will want to visit Historic Halifax in the Eastern part of the state to appreciate this tradition.)

The traditional carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas, is really about celebration of these days.

I found an article about the probable origin of this carol at Homeschooling Today magazine and thought you might enjoy reading it as well.  I certainly makes a great devotion series to follow Advent.





I'm off again for another round of visits -- its Christmas season you know!