Why I'm Singing (and Practicing) the Twelve Days of Christmas
You may think of the 12 Days of Christmas as one of the most annoying holiday songs, but did you know that the Twelve Days of Christmas actually speaks of a Christian practice leading up to the holiday of Epiphany, traditionally celebrated on January 6th? If you are like me, you grew up with very little knowledge of this early Christian holiday. I love Church history, or history of any kind for that matter. About ten years ago, I became enamored with studying Epiphany. Here is what I found.
About 300 AD, the Church began observing Christ’s birth in winter and shortly after December 25th was chosen. As early as 200 AD, the practice of the Feast of Epiphany began to be celebrated. In western countries, the Feast has come to observe the Magi because they were the first Gentiles who were offered the Good News of the Gospel. In eastern tradition, the Feast recognizes the baptism of and Incarnation of Christ as fully God and fully man. Both points in our faith history are worth commemorating. I find this special because it is the only celebration I know of that specifically celebrates the inclusion of the Gentile, something truly worth celebrating!
How beautiful is it that one of the first things God does to announce his coming was to include everyone! The angels were careful to announce this to the shepherds when they proclaimed, …“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people ( Luke 2:10b). It was there in Scripture for the Jew, but hidden. Although the Magi likely had the Torah available to them, the very stars in the heaven declared and confirmed the Truth of his arrival causing them to leave behind comfort and familiarity in order to seek him with their whole hearts and life.
The practice of the twelve days of Christmas is part of Epiphany and includes small gifts in children’s shoes in order to commemorate the readiness of the Magi to travel. On the eve of Epiphany, or Twelve Night, it became a common tradition to bake a cake with a pea and a bean in it. Whomever received a slice with one of these was treated like royalty for a day. It is likely that this is where we get the saying, “Queen (or king) for the day.”
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In medieval England, it was considered bad luck for a family to still have their Christmas decorations up by the Feast of Epiphany. However, they kept a wreath up on the door until after this feast was observed. It was also a popular day to have a home dedicated for God’s use and blessed with holy water. This is the day when observers would carol in their neighborhoods and drink Wassel to celebrate the inclusion of humanity in the Good News of the Incarnation of Jesus.
In the eastern tradition, this holiday observes the baptism and Incarnation of Christ. The mystery of Jesus being fully God and fully man is one to celebrate to be sure. It is this very fact that allows Jesus to fellowship with our suffering as scripture explains in Philippians 3:10. It shows how committed Jesus was to become one of us and to become involved with the mess of humanity. This commemoration seems to be a more somber and holy day, not as celebratory. The holiday includes a church service and the blessing of homes.
I find it beautiful that around the time we celebrate the birth of our Lord that our Jewish brothers and sisters celebrate Hanukkah, where presents are given daily. This is celebrated in order to remember God’s deliverance of the Jewish people. Gentiles have our very own celebration of deliverance the Messiah’s inclusion of all men in the observance of Epiphany. Perhaps this is a practice worth bringing back into current culture. Next time you hear the song the Twelve Days of Christmas, remember its Christian origins. It’s more than a partridge in a pear tree!
