Most of us will know the famous Christmas carol ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’ – and be familiar with the lyric ‘…and a partridge in a pear tree’.
But the popular Christmas tune actually refers to a festive period called Twelvetide, which is recognised and celebrated by a number of Christian denominations – and which ends with Twelfth Night, when traditionally decorations are taken down.
So, now that the festive season is wrapping up when exactly do the 12 days take place, and have they already come to an end?
Here is all you need to know before your Amazon searches get weird.
The 12 Days of Christmas begin on Christmas Day and end on January 5.
In 2021, the first day of Christmas was Saturday, December 25, while the 12th day of Christmas takes place today – Wednesday, January 5.
It is not the 12 days running up to Christmas Day.
What happens during the 12 Days of Christmas?
Twelvetide, sometimes called Christmastide, essentially celebrates the Nativity of Jesus Christ.
Each day is devoted to a saint, an important event in Christian history or, of course, to Jesus himself.
Naturally, the first day of Christmas (December 25) is all about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.
The second day of Christmas (December 26) may be Boxing Day to most, but it’s also St Stephen’s Day.
The third day of Christmas (December 27) celebrated St John the Apostle. He is the patron saint of loyalty and friendship, as well as the author of the Book of Revelation.
The fourth day of Christmas (December 28) is called ‘The Feast of Holy Innocents’, a day of remembrance thinking back to the baby boys killed in King Herod’s search for Baby Jesus.
The fifth day of Christmas (December 29) is another day of remembrance, this time for former Archbishop of Canterbury St Thomas Becket, who was murdered on this day in the year 1170.
The sixth day of Christmas (December 30) is the day of St Egwin of Worcester.
The seventh day of Christmas (December 31) is New Year’s Eve. Today, Pope Sylvester I is typically remembered and celebrated.
The eighth day of Christmas (January 1) is New Year’s Day, a fitting time to celebrate Jesus’s mother, Mary.
The ninth day of Christmas (January 2) celebrates St Gregory Nazianzen and St Basil the Great, both from the 4th century.
The tenth day of Christmas (January 3) is the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus.
The eleventh day of Christmas (January 4) celebrates St Elizabeth Ann Seton, an American saint who lived in the 1700s and 1800s.
The twelfth day of Christmas (January 5) is sometimes called Epiphany Eve, as it precedes Epiphany – a day that commemorates the first manifestation of Jesus Christ. Typically, Epiphany is celebrated by Orthodox Christians and Catholics.
MORE : How to recycle your Christmas tree in the UK
MORE : Can you recycle Christmas cards?
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