Twelfth Night!

Christmas Season begins with the First Mass of Christmas - the Midnight Mass, and thus it is the First Day of Christmas. Some would argue that "Boxing Day"is the First Day of Christmas - but there are a couple problems with that. 1) Boxing Day is primarily a British holiday, not much of a global celebration beyond the British Commonwealth and was originally for giving gifts to servants whom had served their employers well, or to the poor in general - it is not a Christian celebration. 2) January 6th begins a new season, the Season of Epiphany - so in the Christian liturgical sense, December 25th begins the 12 days of Christmas with January 5th being "Twelfth Night" and the last day of the Christmas Season - sort of (see below).

OK, we say "sort of" because technically it is "Christmastide" all the way through Candlemas, February 2nd, which is the Feast of the Presentation at the Temple as well as the ritual cleansing of the Blessed Virgin Mary - which she really didn't "need" - but she "needed" to fulfill the Law - and she did. But the point of this article is the 12 Days (Nights) of Christmas - which end on January 5th.

So, when do you take down your Christmas decorations? Well, Twelfth Night is a good night to do so, but in some homes (mine being one of them!) we leave them up until February 2nd - and we have a Nativity Scene year round. 

So, a Blessed 12th Night to you and your family! 

Merry Christmas!

May God richly bless your 2023!

Happy 5th Day of Christmas!

 On the Fifth Day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

5 Gold Rings!

4 Calling Birds

3 French Hens

2 Turtle Doves

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

(You had to be born before the 1970's to get this one!) 

And a reminder! Christmas lasts at LEAST until January 5th, with the Season of Epiphany starting on January 6th - BUT - Christmastide lasts all the way through February 2nd - Candlemas!

12th Day of Christmas

 

Today is the Twelfth Day of Christmas! It is the eve of Epiphany - and tomorrow starts the Epiphany Season - BUT - keep in mind, IT'S STILL CHRISTMASTIDE! Christmastide lasts through February 2nd!

The Twelfth Day we recall the 12 points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed.

1. I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. 
2. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. 
3. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary. 
4. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. 
5. He descended into hell. On the third day, he rose again. 
6. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 
7. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 
8. I believe in the Holy Ghost, 
9. the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, 
10. the forgiveness of sins, 
11. the resurrection of the body, 
12. and life everlasting.

The Eleventh Day of Christmas

 

The Twelve Days of Christmas are drawing to a close - but Christmastide still has nearly a month to go!

The Tenth Day of Christmas

 On the Tenth Day of Christmas - remember the 10 Commandments!

Ninth Day of Christmas -

 And on the Ninth Day of Christmas, per the song, the gift is nine ladies dancing.

Tradition has at least a couple meanings here. First example, it has to do with the nine fruits of the Holy Ghost. The fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Collins, 2021).

A second tradition is the nine ladies dancing represents the nine choirs of angels (CatholicsKnowTheAnswer, n.d.):

I tried to give full credit to this image, but it appears that page on Facebook, while you can still get to the images for now (Catholics Know the Answer, n.d.) the page itself is not accessible. 

Saints of the Day - January 2nd

The Saints for today are Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzus, Bishops and Doctors of the Church (Vatican News, 2017). These two were lifelong friends in the early 4th century and fought against the Arian Heresy.

References

Catholics Know The Answer, (n.d.). On the Ninth Day of Christmas. http://36qy.2.vu/1 

Collins, A. (2021). The surprising meaning behind "The 12 Days of Christmas" lyrics. Crosswalk. https://www.crosswalk.com/special-coverage/christmas-and-advent/the-twelve-days-of-christmas.html

Vatican News, (2017). Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzus, Bishops and Doctors of the Church. Vatican News. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/01/02/sts--basil-the-great-and--gregory-nazianzus--bishops-and-doctors.html 

Eighth Day of Christmas - Circumcision of Our Lord

 On the Eighth Day of Christmas

Merry Christmas! 

The song goes "Eight maids a-milking." A traditional view [allegedly debunked by Snopes (Mikkelson, 2000)] is that this relates to the Eight Beatitudes. Mikkelson makes a fairly convincing argument, but not absolutely so. There is still room to accept that Catholics, under persecution from King Henry VIII's Church of England, had to hide the fact they were using the song to help remember key Catholic tenets. Most notably, the 7 Sacraments (for the 7th Day) are not the same for Anglicans and Catholics, other than that, the other tenets do not differ - still - if Catholics were using this song as a tool of remembrance, and were caught doing so, it could have meant imprisonment or even death. Regardless, Snopes is not our ultimate authority and even if the tradition is ancient or not, today we can use this as a reminder of the Eight Beatitudes.

Circumcision of Our Lord -  January 1 - Within the Octave of Christmas

Circumcision was part of the ancient Law, starting with Abraham. Jesus fulfilled the old Law, but when He was only 8 days old, that fulfillment had not yet taken place. The Holy Family, still under the old Law complied and brought Jesus to the Temple to fulfill this part of the Law. 

The various Christian denominations that observe the feast emphasize different aspects of the events surrounding Jesus' circumcision. In 1969 the (modern) Catholic Church changed the name of the observance to the "Solemnity of Mary," a name that reflects their emphasis on Mary's role as mother of the Savior (Traditionalists still hold to the traditional lectionary). Orthodox Christians continue to observe the day as the "Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord." Episcopalians call the festival the "Feast of the Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ." They emphasize the significance of Jesus' name, given to Mary by Gabriel - the angel of the Annunciation - which means literally "God saves" or "God helps." Lutherans compromise by calling the festival the "Feast of the Circumcision and the Name of Jesus." (Feast of the Circumcision, n.d.).

References

Feast of the Circumcision. (n.d.) Encyclopedia of Christmas and New Year\'s Celebrations, 2nd ed.. (2003). Retrieved January 1 2022 from https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Feast+of+the+Circumcision

Mikkelson, D. (2000). The Twelve Days of Christmas: Was the song 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' created as a secret code by persecuted Catholics? Snopes. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/twelve-days-christmas/ 

Seventh Day of Christmas!

 On this, the Seventh Day of Christmas the song says the true love gives "seven swans a-swimming." The meaning behind the seven swans is they represent the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost. Isaiah 11:2-3 - wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear/respect of the Lord.

Saint of the Day - St. Sylvester I - pope from 314 - 335. If you know your history at all, this was both before and after the Edict of Milan and the emergence of the Church from the catacombs and with Emperor Constantine, the building of some of the greatest basilicas - like St. John Lateran and St. Peter's. He was also the pope during the Council of Nicaea. He was in charge at the end of the persecution of the Church and into the freedom of the Church.

6th Day of Christmas

 On the Sixth Day of Christmas - we celebrate St. Anysius (and others).

Saint Anysius was a Martyr of Greece. She was a wealthy woman of Salonika, in Thessaly, who used her personal funds to aid the poor. A soldier accosted her in the street and tried to drag her to a pagan sacrifice. Anysius resisted and was killed when the soldier attacked her with his sword.  

 https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-anysius-100 

In the song, the 6 geese a-laying refers to the six days of creation and is also symbolic of new life.

• 
  Gospel

  Luke 2:36-40
  

  36And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phan'u-el, of the tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity,37and as a widow, till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.38And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks to God, and spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.39And when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.40And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

 

Merry Christmas!

Today is the 5th Day of Christmas!

We remember St. Thomas Becket today - murdered on this day in 1170 in the cathedral due to his opposition to King Henry II. In 1539 King Henry VIII had his remains burned.

12th Day of Christmas - January 5

 On this, the Twelfth Day of Christmas, as we complete the song and the explanation behind each "gift" as well as the fact that the alleged catechetical code behind the song is likely an invention of the 1990s and the Internet - let us not be looking so hard to find a negative.

Image credit: dreamstime.com

The alleged catechetical meaning behind the 12th Drummers drumming is the 12 Articles of Faith in the Apostles Creed. These 12 articles are not exclusive to the Catholic Faith, in fact, they are widely held by most Christians throughout the Christian world.

Now, rather than draw attention to the likely fact that this myth was born in the 1990s on the Internet, and rather than find fault in the alleged logic put forth in the 1990s that this song was born out of persecution - why not just accept that there can be a deeper Christian message behind the 12 gifts? Clearly the song marks the (largely Catholic) celebration of the 12 days between the birth of Jesus Christ to the celebration of the coming of the Magi on Epiphany, January 6th - so love the song for its Christian roots!

Another song, similar in nature and from about the same time is the "New Dial Song" (c. 1625 AD). Perhaps some of the musings from this other ancient song have had some influence on the 1990s legend of the 12 Days of Christmas? Here are the words to the "New Dial Song:"

What are they that are but one?

We have one God alone

In heaven above sits on His throne.What are they which are but two?

Two testaments, the old and new,

We do acknowledge to be true.What are they which are but three?

Three persons in the Trinity

Which make one God in unity.What are they which are but four

Four sweet Evangelists there are,

Christ’s birth, life, death which do declare.What are they which are but five?

Five senses, like five kings, maintain

In every man a several reign. What are they which are but six?

Six days to labor is not wrong,

For God himself did work so long.

What are they which are but seven?

Seven liberal arts hath God sent down

With divine skill man’s soul to crown. What are they which are but eight?

Eight Beatitudes are there given

Use them right and go to heaven. What are they which are but nine?

Nine Muses, like the heaven’s nine spheres,

With sacred tunes entice our ears. What are they which are but ten?

Ten statutes God to Moses gave

Which, kept or broke, do spill or save. What are they which are but eleven?

Eleven thousand virgins did partake

And suffered death for Jesus’ sake. What are they which are but twelve?

Twelve are attending on God’s son;

Twelve make our creed. The Dial’s done.

I will close this posting on the Twelfth Day of Christmas with the reminder, it is STILL CHRISTMAS! Christmastide lasts through most of the Season of Epiphany, and ends on February 2nd - Candlemas - which is the last time in the liturgical year that the nativity is mentioned in the readings of the lectionary. So, keep your decorations up a bit longer, at least some of them, as a reminder that we are still celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

11th Day of Christmas

 The 11th Day of Christmas - January 4th

From the song, we have the 11 Pipers piping...

A couple meanings could be behind this according to legend. During the 16th through 19th centuries, it was illegal for Catholics to practice their faith in England - so the story goes (may not be true) that the faithful Catholics developed coded meaning in the song, the Twelve Days of Christmas, to publicly sing of their faith without drawing attention to it. One possible meaning is the 11 represents 11,000 - or a lot - of martyrs for the Catholic Faith in England. Another and more popular belief is that the 11 represents the 11 Apostles who remained faithful to Christ through the Crucifixion and Resurrection. 

I say "legend" because there is no real hard evidence prior to the 1990s where this "legend" seems to have begun. Certainly, the song is from the 16th-17th century, but that there are coded meaings behind each verse - well, again, there is just no evidence for this prior to several email chains from the 1990s. That said, I see nothing wrong with attributing these meanings to the verses, but we should be clear about the origins of these meanings.

 

Catholic Saints for January 4th:

Elizabeth Ann Seton (Memorial) Our Lady of Treves — Abruncolo of Langres Aedh Dubh Aggaeus the Martyr Angela of Foligno Celsus of Trier Chiara de Ugarte Chroman Dafrosa of Acquapendente Ferreolus of Uzès Gaius of Moesia Gregory of Langres Hermes of Moesia Libentius of Hamburg Louis de Halles Manuel Gonzalez Garcia

Mavilus of Adrumetum Neophytos Neopista of Rome Oringa of the Cross Palumbus of Subiaco Pharaildis of Ghent Rigobert of Rheims Rigomero of Meaux Roger of Ellant Rumon of Audierne Stephen du Bourg Theoctistus Thomas Plumtree Source: https://catholicsaints.info/4-january/

10th Day of Christmas

 10th Day of Christmas - January 3

10 Lords A-Leaping

Traditional / Catechetical Remembrance*: 

The Ten Commandments

Saints for January 3:

St. Bertilia
St. Blitmund
St. Cyrinus
St. Daniel of Padua
St. Finlugh
St. Fintan

St. Florentius of Vienne
St. Genevieve
St. Narses
St. Theopemptus and Theonas
St. Wenog
St. Zosimus & Athanasius

* The "Catechetical remembrance" is likely a myth - it was said that the 12 Days of Christmas song was to help children remember their catechism - but the "gifts" do not really have any memorable link to what they are supposed to represent. Another story is that while Catholics were being persecuted in England, they would sing this song at Christmastide to help remember the tenets of their faith - but again, such a "code" makes little sense. 

9th Day of Christmas - January 2nd

 On the Ninth Day of Christmas - January 2nd

Nine Ladies Dancing

Traditional / Catechetical Remembrance: 

The Nine Fruits of the Holy Ghost

Again, we must point out that while modern folklore, from the 1990s, states there is a Catholic catechetical meaning behind the song of the 12 Days of Christmas, there really exists no hard evidence to that end. The Snopes website does a fairly good job of explaining the likelihood of the folly of this Catholic or Christian explanation of the song, in fact, One argument is the song refers to Catholics who were persecuted by Protestants in England and another side posits that the song refers to Christians in general were persecuted and the song was a coded message for Christianity to not reveal the Christian faith to others. The chief argument against the latter is that each verse of the song refers to the Christian celebration of Christmas - one is hardly hiding Christianity in this song! I found only one error on their site. 

 

The only error I found on the Snopes site is a reference regarding the five gold rings to "the five obligatory sacraments of the Church." Well, there are seven obligatory sacraments of the Church, not five.

8th Day of Christmas!

On the 8th Day of Christmas - January 1

From the song: Maids A-Milking

Traditional / Catechetical Remembrance: 

The Eight Beatitudes

Solemnity of Mary - Mother of God

While in the modern calendar January 1 is recognized for the Blessed Virgin Mary, traditionally - and still recognized in the Extraordinary Rite (Traditional Latin Rite) - it has always been the Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord which took place on the 8th Day from His birth.

I was going through postings for the 12 Days of Christmas, and though I was pretty sure I posted a full set, I am not finding one on the Qui Locutus blog!  While many of the 12 Days are posted throughout the years, never a full set - and find that I am missing days 7, 9, and 10! So, for 2020-2021 - allow me to remedy this! Below is an index (and the 9th, 10th, and 11th are scheduled to post as those days come up, so check back if you're here before those dates!).

12 Days of Christmas

Date	Day of Christmas	Link(s)
25-Dec	1	https://quilocutus.blogspot.com/2014/12/christ-mass-december-25th.html
26-Dec	2	https://quilocutus.blogspot.com/2019/12/twelve-days-of-christmas-feast-of.html https://quilocutus.blogspot.com/2014/12/merry-christmas-day-2.html
27-Dec	3	https://quilocutus.blogspot.com/2014/12/merry-christmas-3rd-day.html
28-Dec	4	https://quilocutus.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-fourth-day-of-christmas-holy.html
29-Dec	5	https://quilocutus.blogspot.com/2019/12/fifth-day-of-christmas.html https://quilocutus.blogspot.com/2014/12/happy-fifth-day-of-christmas.html
30-Dec	6	https://quilocutus.blogspot.com/2019/12/sixth-day-of-christmas.html
31-Dec	7	https://quilocutus.blogspot.com/2020/12/7th-day-of-christmas.html
01-Jan	8	https://quilocutus.blogspot.com/2021/01/8th-day-of-christmas.html https://quilocutus.blogspot.com/2020/01/eighth-day-of-christmas.html https://quilocutus.blogspot.com/2015/01/on-eighth-day-of-christmas.html https://quilocutus.blogspot.com/2015/01/on-eighth-day-of-christmas.html
02-Jan	9	https://quilocutus.blogspot.com/2021/01/9th-day-of-christmas.html
03-Jan	10	https://quilocutus.blogspot.com/2021/01/10th-day-of-christmas.html
04-Jan	11	https://quilocutus.blogspot.com/2021/01/11th-day-of-christmas.html
05-Jan	12	https://quilocutus.blogspot.com/2019/01/merry-christmas.html

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

7th Day of Christmas

 On the Seventh Day of Christmas:

Seven Swans A-Swimming

Traditional Catechetical Remembrance: The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit and/or the seven sacraments

Today is December 31st - New Year's Eve - And the Feast of the Holy Family

Today we remember the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony and pray for our families and the unity of our families. Say a prayer to the Holy Family and ask them to pray for and with you for a blessed new year.

Eighth Day of Christmas

In the song, the Eighth Day of Christmas is the gift of the eight maids a-milking, and this allegedly symbolizes the eight beatitudes from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.

In Catholic tradition (as well as what is the Jewish tradition) on the eighth day was the Circumcision of our Lord. In modern times this feast has been changed to the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. Personally, I still recognize this day as traditionally commemorating, the Circumcision of our Lord (and in the extraordinary rite, this is still the feast/solemnity recognized).

IT'S STILL CHRISTMAS!

Do not forget!  It is still the Christmas Season!  This season lasts AT LEAST until the eve of Epiphany (January 6th), or in the older tradition it lasts all the way to Candlemas (February 2nd).

Twelve Days of Christmas - Day 3

On the Third Day of Christmas, so the song goes, the gift is three French hens. The three are allegedly symbolic of the three theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity.

December 27th is also the Feast of St. John the Apostle.

St. John was the only Apostle NOT to die a martyr. Traditionally it is said he passed away about the year 100 AD in Ephesus.

OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS

The eight days of Christmas, from Christmas Day through January 1st are days within the Octave of Christmas. The Christmas Octave is not at the same level as the Easter Octave. In the Octave of Easter EACH DAY is considered a solemnity - but the same is not true of the Octave of Christmas (correcting what was stated earlier in this posting). There are two solemnities within the Octave of Christmas, those being Christmas Day itself and January 1st, the Feast of Mary the Mother of God in the Ordinary Rite, in the Extraordinary Rite and traditionally, January 1st is the Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord (both days are holy days of obligation).


Closing this posting with another reminder, Christmas lasts until (Candlemas) February 2nd!  Continue to celebrate the Christmastide!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Twelve Days of Christmas - Feast of Stephen

Today is the Second Day of Christmas! (December 26)

The Twelve Days of Christmas are the days, starting with the Christ Mass on December 25th, through February 5th. February 6th is the Feast of the Epiphany. February 6th is traditionally celebrated as Three Kings Day - or the day the Three Wisemen visited the Holy Family in Bethlehem. Does this end Christmastide?  Not quite!  Read below!

Martyrdom of Saint Stephen by Giovanni Andrea De Ferrari (1598-1669), undated

Today is also the Feast of St. Stephen, the First Christian Martyr. Stephen's death is recorded in Acts 7:54-60. He died with his last words asking God not to hold his persecutors responsible (one of whom was Saul, who would become St. Paul).

"The Massacre of the Innocents" (1482) by di Giovanni di Bartolo Matteo

As we remember St. Stephen, he being the first one killed for his faith in Jesus Christ, we must not forget the Holy Innocents, who were actually the first martyrs for Christ - though they had no idea who Jesus Christ was. The scriptural accounting of the Holy Innocents is Matthew 2:16–18 when King Herod was attempting to have the Christchild killed. St. Joseph was given a vision of the intentions of King Herod and fled to Egypt with the Blessed Mother and Jesus. The feast day for the Holy Innocents is December 28th - and is also known as Childermas.

Presentation of Our Lord at the Temple - The Last Day of Christmas

Remember!  Christmastide actually lasts well into the Season of Epiphany! Christmastide officially ends with Candlemas on February 2nd - which is the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. In the traditional (extraordinary) lectionary, this is the last time in the liturgical year that the Nativity is mentioned - and thus ends the Christmas Season.

Merry Christmas!

Yes!  Merry Christmas!  Tonight is Twelfth Night!  

Tomorrow is Epiphany Sunday, January 6th.

 When Does Christmas End?

The Christmas Season, traditionally, has at least a couple different ending dates. One thing is clear, Christmas is NOT over on December 26th! It was actually considered "bad luck" to take down ones Christmas decorations before the season actually ended. So when DOES the Christmas Season end?

January 5th - Twelfth Night

January 6th is Epiphany, which comes from the Greek "to reveal." It is the day celebrated as when the Three Wise Men (or Three Kings) arrived to see the newborn King, Jesus Christ. This is the more recent ending of the Christmas Season as January 6th begins the Season of Epiphany. Epiphany lasts until "Fat Tuesday" for the following day is Ash Wednesday, and Lent officially begins.

February 2nd - Candlemas 

It is at Candlemas (The Feast of the Presentation of Christ at the Temple) in the lectionary where the Nativity is mentioned for the last time in the liturgical year. This is the last day of Christmastide. Our priest, last Sunday, made a distinction between Christmas Season, which ends with Twelfth Night, and Christmastide, which ends with Candlemas.

Poet, Robert Herrick (1591-1674) wrote the following poem commemorating the day to take down the Christmas decorations entitled Candlemas Eve:

Candlemas Eve

Down with the rosemary and bays,

Down with the misletoe;

Instead of holly, now up-raise

The greener box, for show.   
 

The holly hitherto did sway;

Let box now domineer,

Until the dancing Easter-day,

Or Easter’s eve appear.   
 

Then youthful box, which now hath grace

Your houses to renew,

Grown old, surrender must his place

Unto the crispèd yew.

When yew is out, then birch comes in,

And many flowers beside,

Both of a fresh and fragrant kin,

To honour Whitsuntide.   

Green rushes then, and sweetest bents,

With cooler oaken boughs,

Come in for comely ornaments,

To re-adorn the house.

Thus times do shift; 

Each thing his turn does hold;

New things succeed,

As former things grow old.

(Source: https://www.bartleby.com/337/368.html)

The poem takes us from Christmastide, taking down our Christmas decorations, to Easter and then Pentecost (Whitsunday) and into summertime - and back to when "cooler oaken boughs..." and it is time again to re-adorn the house for the next Christ Mass celebration.