The Twelve Days of Christmas is the period of time that occurs starting with Christmas day and continuing on through to the first week of January. The 12 Days of Christmas does not occur the 12 days prior to Christmas. The period before Christmas is known as Advent.
Christmastide is another name for this time period. The celebrations and traditions that take place during this time period vary slightly. It depends on the denomination of your church as well as where you live in the world. Each denomination and culture has different beliefs on how the time period should be celebrated.
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.
The twelve days has many different holiday traditions that you can use to celebrate the holiday period. For instance, you can light a candle on each day of the 12 days.
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.
Finally, there is the 12 days of Christmas song that is immensely popular all throughout the world. This song highlights different gifts received by the singer of the song from someone referred to as "my true love." There are two major schools of thought as to the meaning of this song. Some simply say it is just a regular Christmas song with no hidden meaning. Others however hold to a belief that the song actually has hidden Christian connotations. For instance, the "true love" actually refers to Jesus Christ and each of the 12 gifts refers to different tenants of the Christian faith.
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.
Christmastide is another name for this time period. The celebrations and traditions that take place during this time period vary slightly. It depends on the denomination of your church as well as where you live in the world. Each denomination and culture has different beliefs on how the time period should be celebrated.
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.
The twelve days has many different holiday traditions that you can use to celebrate the holiday period. For instance, you can light a candle on each day of the 12 days.
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.
Finally, there is the 12 days of Christmas song that is immensely popular all throughout the world. This song highlights different gifts received by the singer of the song from someone referred to as "my true love." There are two major schools of thought as to the meaning of this song. Some simply say it is just a regular Christmas song with no hidden meaning. Others however hold to a belief that the song actually has hidden Christian connotations. For instance, the "true love" actually refers to Jesus Christ and each of the 12 gifts refers to different tenants of the Christian faith.
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.
About the Author:
Kerry Beck offers free advent calendars with daily Christmas activities to prepare your family for Christmas. Your family will discover more about holiday traditions with many of the daily activities.
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