Do you know the meaning of 12 days of Christmas? Does it blow your mind how we have changed?

[diabeticman]

I was in the car with my wife and a young friend of ours. The girl is 25 years old we met when she was our neighbor when we lived in the duplex that was condemned by the city.


Anyways the young friend was saying how she loves the 12 days before Christmas.

My wife asked her what she meant and the young friend explained she loved the song and how it talks about the 12 days leading up to Christmas.

My wife hung her head and explained to the friend that when she was younger and for a long time the 12 days of Christmas meant between Christmas and the Epiphany. on Jan 6th. That Christmas use to be a longer period of time.

My wife moaned that she hates the way Christmas music starts BEFORE Thanksgiving on some of the stations here BUT it ends on December 26th.

My wife was raised Catholic but consider herself Wiccan/Pagan now and she said she misses the trees and lights garland being up around New years.

[BlueStreak]

1. That song wasn't about buying anything. It was a protest song. These are metaphors

http://www.achievebalance.com/think/12days.htm

[RandiFan1290]

2. That is just another Urban Legend

Sorry

[BlueStreak]

3. Then what do you think it means?

Taken literally, the lyrics are completely nonsensical.

[RandiFan1290]

5. I'm not sure

but I looked it up on Snopes when I first heard of it. They have more info

http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/music/12days.asp

[CBHagman]

4. Well, when I lived in Europe...

...Advent/Christmas/Epiphany were all observed, and it was clear that it was a season of observances. Things didn't return to normal until after January 6th.

[DonCoquixote]

6. in Europe

the 12 days of Xmas run from Xmas to Jan 6, the day the "wise men" arrived. In tradtional Latin American households, this is the day gifts are given.

[RainDog]

7. First is St. Nicholas day - Dec. 6th

Then Christmas day, then Driekoningen, at least in the Benelux countries. On Three Kings Day, children dress up as the three kings and go to people's houses to sing songs and beg coins, or if they're very young, they walk around the dining table and sing to the adults. People buy a Koningentaart (King's Cake) with a bean or ceramic baby figure inside, and share the cake in their homes. Whoever finds the baby in their slice of cake wears a paper crown, as queen or king for the day. France and Germany do something similar.

But the older origins are Saturnalia (Dec. 17th - 23rd) in the Roman world where Christianity began. The worldly order is upset and kings become slaves and vice versa. Public banquets and gift giving were part of the celebration.

The Talmud talks about an 8 day pagan festival after solstice (tonight) as well that celebrates the rebirth of the sun after the longest night of the year.

All religions eventually find their origins in pagan practices and those practices revolve around the workings of the natural world.

I don't see any reason why we can't celebrate this time as part of most of the world's celebration of some sort or another.

[DonCoquixote]

10. king cake

ala New orleans?

[RainDog]

12. that's where the New Orleans tradition comes from

the French version is gâteau des rois. The New Orleans cake is more like Southern France and Spain, as far as the tradition goes - a bundt sort of cake with colored fruit or icing on top.

Both Spain and France celebrate Three Kings Day - and the celebrations in the Benelux countries are very similar because both Spain and France once controlled that part of northern Europe.

But the northern French and Belgian versions are more like tarts sometimes... I've been to some homes where people get a pear or apple tart with a crown encircling it, so it's open, but the older version has a top on it - it's filled with an almond custard but not the fruits on top.

[jazzimov]

8. Actually, it comes from the celebration of Yule

which traditionally lasts 12 days beginning on the Winter Solstice. The whole "epiphany" thing was made up by the Christian invaders later to incorporate existing rituals.

[TexasProgresive]

9. Christmas is the 1st day Epiphany is 12 day

December 25 to January 6th an octave + 4

The Twelve Days of Christmas are the festive days beginning Christmas Day (25 December). This period is also known as Christmastide and Twelvetide. The Twelfth Day of Christmas is always on Epiphany Eve (5 January), but the Twelfth Night can either precede or follow the Twelfth Day according to which Christian tradition is followed.[1] The Twelfth Day (5 January) is followed by the Feast of the Epiphany on 6 January. In some traditions, the feast of Epiphany (6 January) and the twelfth night of Christmas overlap.[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_days_of_Christmas

Snopes says false
http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/music/12days.asp

[riderinthestorm]

11. We put our Christmas tree up On Christmas eve and leave it up til January 6th

English/Irish family.

We have a Kings Cake with a charm but since I'm an atheist and I bake it, the charm is usually more generic - a silver ring, a gold dollar coin etc.

Traditionally Christmas eve was for the Yule log and gifts, Christmas day was for church and the feast.

[freeplessinseattle]

13. What really blows my mind is that anyone actually likes

that song!