The Twelve Days of Christmas is actually one of the most incorrectly identified holiday traditions and time periods on the calendar today. Most people assume that the 12 days of Christmas, like the advent calendar comes before and leads up to Christmas day. However, it actually begins on or after Christmas.
The 12 days of Christmas is also known as the period of Christmastide. During Christmastide, the way people celebrate the holiday season varies slightly. For instance, there are different beliefs as to when the holiday should be celebrated. These beliefs are typically influenced by the culture that you live in as well as the religious denomination that you practice.
For example, some traditions celebrate the twelve days of Christmas from Christmas day until January 5th. Other traditions celebrate it starting on Christmas evening until January 6th.
The 12 days of Christmas reflects a major component of the Christmas history. As we know Christmas day represents the birth date of Jesus Christ. The 12 days of Christmas represents the time period in which the 3 Kings from the region of Arabia decided to visit the baby Jesus. Traveling from their homeland they traveled to Bethlehem to see the infant. When they arrived, they presented gifts of great value, gold, frankincense and myrrh to Jesus.
When it comes down to the giving of gifts there are several different philosophies behind when gifts should be given during this time period. Some people believe that gifts should be given on Christmas day. Others believe that you should give gifts only on the 12th day of Christmas. Still others believe that you should give gifts on each of the 12 days of Christmas.
There are many ways this period is celebrated and highlighted. For instance, one common tradition is to light a candle for each of the 12 days. You can purchase a set of 12 candles that you can light for each day in the Christmastide holiday season.
Another of the holiday traditions for the twelve days is the Christmas dinner. Like the gifts, some practitioners of the holiday host a big Christmas dinner only on Christmas. In the past, this period was a major feast time. People would come together every night during the 12 days of Christmas and enjoy a fantastic feast of food. The biggest feast of all would take place on the final day of the 12 day period.
Another important aspect of the holiday is the 12 days of Christmas song that enjoys worldwide popularity. This song talks about the different gifts that the recipient receives during this time period from his or her "true love." It has been hotly debated as to whether there is any hidden meaning behind this song. There are some people who believe that this song actually makes hidden references to different aspects of the Christian faith. They believe the song was created to help believers remember the key aspects of their faith. Others believe that this is simply an urban myth.
Regardless of what you believe on how the twelve days of Christmas should be celebrated, it can be an incredible opportunity for you to gather with your friends and family and have fun. You can choose the best way to celebrate it based on your own beliefs and convictions about the holiday season.
Kerry Beck offers free advent calendars with daily Christmas crafts to prepare your family for Christmas. Your family will discover more about holiday traditions with many of the daily activities. You can get her FREE Advent Calendar Countdown at http://www.ChristmasCelebrationIdeas.com
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(c) Kerry Beck, 2008You have permission to reprint this article, as long as you don’t make any changes and include the bio above. Links in resource box must be clickable to reprint this article. If you can’t click the link, please ask permission to reprint.
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