Last Friday, in The Twelve Days of Christmas, Part 1, we learned from the famous Christmas Carol, the Twelve Days of Christmas, that the version of the holiday we celebrate matters! Let’s get back to the Shepherd’s version: “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We … have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:2 NIV)!

But wait. Why does this song talk about “twelve” days of Christmas? There’s only one, right? December 25, right?

Even though the song originated in the 18^th century, the celebration of the 12 days of Christmas predates this by several centuries. To understand the 12 days of Christmas, we must go to European tradition. In 567, the Council of Tours proclaimed the twelve days, beginning on Christmas (December 25), and stretching through to January 5, the eve of Epiphany, with Epiphany being a feast day commemorating the visit or the Magi (Wikipedia).

Throughout early Christian history, there would be 12 days of religious celebrations, feasting and entertainment. While today many people count down the days to Christmas with chocolate advent calendars, early people fasted for the four weeks leading up to Christmas, including Christmas Eve.

Everyone stopped working for 12 days, starting on Christmas day. On Christmas Eve, people decorated their homes with whatever greenery they could find growing: holly, ivy, mistletoe … These green plants, still growing even in winter when other plants had died, were thought to symbolize eternal life, and it was considered good luck to bring them into the home on Christmas Eve, but bad luck to do it any earlier.

Because people were not meant to work over Christmas, women decorated household items so that they would be unable to use them until after the 12 day celebration, and as such, our tradition to decorate for Christmas was born … Not necessarily to make us think of the Christ child, but to impede us from working so that we could focus on His holy birth!

The feasts were as follows:

Day 1: Christmas day began with mass, followed by a feast.

Day 2: December 26 was the Feast of St. Stephan, the first Christian to be killed for his faith. As Stephan was a deacon and his role was to care for the poor, churches collected money for the poor. Sometimes these gifts to the poor would be packed in boxes, and thus was born the tradition of “Boxing Day” that we still celebrate in certain parts of the world.

Day 3: December 27, the third day of Christmas, was the Feast of St. John. Christian tradition claims that John miraculously drunk a glass of poisoned wine without becoming sick, and as such, this feast was celebrated by the drinking of much wine.

Day 4: December 28 was the Feast of the Holy Innocents. People remembered the children murdered in Bethlehem by King Herod as he tried to kill the baby Jesus. Children were often whipped in the morning to remind them of how the children suffered, but for the rest of the day they were in charge!

Days 5,6: December 29-30 did not have any specific traditions attached to them.

Day 7: December 31, New Year’s Eve, was traditionally a day for playing games and sports.

Day 8: January 1, New Year’s Day — In Tudor England New Year’s Day was the traditional time to give gifts.

Days 9-11: January 2-4 didn’t have any specific traditions attached to them.

Day 12: January 5, known as “Twelfth Night”, marked the night before the feast of the Epiphany, the coming of the wise men. It also marked the end of the Christmas celebrations, with people celebrating with great feasts, games and plays.

Why don’t we still celebrate the 12 days of Christmas?

I don’t know the answer to this. I can only speculate that traditions evolved and changed, and as Christmas became a much more secular holiday, fewer and fewer people attended the church services, until finally they were no longer held.

All very interesting facts, but this devotional isn’t meant to just give you interesting things to think about. Nor is it meant to resurrect the celebration of twelve days of Christmas. What it is meant to do is to make us all seriously consider the reason behind these celebrations: The twelve days of Christmas were all about keeping Jesus Christ in Christmas!

Greenery was used to decorate, helping us contemplate the eternal life Jesus brings (See 1 John 5:11).

No work was allowed: This allowed them to have the time to contemplate Jesus (See Psalms 77:11).

Feasts: These were times to remember Christ and His ways: His love for the poor, His ultimate gift for us, the trauma that encircled His coming, and especially, the great abundance that His gift brings to us (See Psalms 72:12-14).

The giving of gifts to the poor: Jesus’ gift isn’t just for us; It is for the world (see Matthew 28:18-20)!

The giving of gifts to each other: This reminds us that Jesus is our greatest gift! He sacrificed everything to come to this world on that first Christmas day, and when we give gifts to each other, we are remembering that sacrifice (See Psalms 77:11).

The games: This reminds us of the great joy Jesus still has to offer (See John 15:11)!

When you plan your Christmas celebrations this year, even though I’m sure you will probably confine them to one, maybe two days, remember the 12 days of Christmas! Remember to set aside non-work time to contemplate Jesus and His greatest of gifts. Remember that Jesus brings joy. Remember His love for the poor. Remember the pain that encircled His coming. Remember that Jesus’ gift is for the world and it is our task to help the world see this! Remember the depth of His sacrifice, and like the wisemen of old, whose coming is celebrated that day the 12 days of Christmas end, remember the reason for the season is, “We … have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2 NIV)!

The Twelve Days of Christmas: A silly Christmas song? Or a way to help us keep Jesus in Christmas? Please join us next Friday for “The Twelve Days of Christmas, Part 3”!

Inspired by Rob Chaffart
Founder, Answers2Prayer Ministries

(To access the entire, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” devotional series, please click here!)