12 Days of Christmas

For many centuries the Twelve days of Christmas stood at the heart of the European Christmas season. The Twelve Days of Christmas is also referred to as 'Christmastide'. The Twelve days begin on December 25 and last until the Twelfth Night (January 5th).

As Christianity became firmly rooted in Europe, political leaders declared the Twelve Days to be legal holidays. Near the end of the ninth century King Alfred the Great of England (849-899) mandated that his subjects observe the Twelve days of Christmas, outlawing all legal proceedings, work and fighting during that time. Norway established the Christian observance of the festival in the middle of the 10th century.

The most festive meal was often served on the Twelfth Night or on Epiphany (6 January).

There were numerous superstitions around the Twelve Days of Christmas. One was that Christmas decorations were to only be displayed over the twelve days and that bad luck would come to those who left them up longer. Another view was that Christmas decorations could be left up as long as they were removed by Candlemas (2 February)...