Twelve Days of Christmas
The Twelve Days of Christmas are the festive evenings and days beginning with the evening of Christmas day.
The first night is the night of December 25th to December 26th, and the first day of Christmas is December 26th (which is also known as Saint Stephen's Day or Boxing Day).
The last night, the night of January 5th to January 6th, is Epiphany, which is associated with the visit of the Magi to Jesus Christ.
"Twelve Days of Christmas" is also the name of a well-known Christmas song in which "my true love" sends a succession of gifts on each of the Days of Christmas.
Some Christians ascribe religious symbolism to various gifts given in the song.
According to some stories, the song and the religious symbolism behind was created at a time of persecution.
The persecution of English Catholics in the 16th Century is usually cited, but other versions of the story refer to a time when Christianity was banned completely, and the song was used to preserve the tenets of the faith.
While intriguing, it seems unlikely that any version of this story is true: All (or almost all) of the doctrines symbolized were not points of contention between Catholics and Anglicans (English Protestants), and it seems rather fanciful that a Christmas song would be able to be sung at all if Christianity was completely banned (not to mention, it's very hard, if not impossible, to find any place in the Western world where Christianity was banned in the last few centuries).
The first night is the night of December 25th to December 26th, and the first day of Christmas is December 26th (which is also known as Saint Stephen's Day or Boxing Day).
The last night, the night of January 5th to January 6th, is Epiphany, which is associated with the visit of the Magi to Jesus Christ.
"Twelve Days of Christmas" is also the name of a well-known Christmas song in which "my true love" sends a succession of gifts on each of the Days of Christmas.
Some Christians ascribe religious symbolism to various gifts given in the song.
According to some stories, the song and the religious symbolism behind was created at a time of persecution.
The persecution of English Catholics in the 16th Century is usually cited, but other versions of the story refer to a time when Christianity was banned completely, and the song was used to preserve the tenets of the faith.
While intriguing, it seems unlikely that any version of this story is true: All (or almost all) of the doctrines symbolized were not points of contention between Catholics and Anglicans (English Protestants), and it seems rather fanciful that a Christmas song would be able to be sung at all if Christianity was completely banned (not to mention, it's very hard, if not impossible, to find any place in the Western world where Christianity was banned in the last few centuries).