Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night grew out of the church's celebration of Epiphany to celebrate the coming of the wise men after Jesus' birth and John the Baptist later baptizing Him. Twelfth Night came twelve days after Christmas and was celebrated on January sixth. It grew in importance from the seventh century as a bridge between Christmas and Epiphany, which would come on January seventh and was especially observed in the Middle Ages and on. In more modern times, the days were sometimes counted differently, and the date could vary by one day.

Several traditions and superstitions grew up around the time of Twelfth Night. One was that it would be unlucky to leave Christmas decorations up past the day. House blessings were also common. A special cake with a pea baked in it would often be served, and the person who got the piece with pea became royalty for the day and was treated as such. In fact, food and drink became more and more a part of the celebrations. The punch, wassail, and wassailing (caroling) became popular. 

Colonial Americans had their own versions of celebrating Twelfth Night. The Christmas wreath on the front door was taken down at the end of Twelfth Night, along with any other Christmas decorations, and any edible decorations, such a fruit, nuts, or berries were eaten. These were often used as decorations, along with the greenery. Although Twelfth Night has faded away in modern times, some areas still have remnants of the holiday. For example, in New Orleans, people may still gather for king cake parties, a modern version of the old tradition. Even those who don't celebrate may have Christmas traditions that originated with Twelfth Night.

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