The Twelve Days Of Christmas - A Common Misconception

[gryphon]

Most people know about the twelve days of christmas but they get a basic fact about them wrong. The twelve days of christmas is not a countdown to christmas but in fact starts on christmas. When the wise men in the east saw the shining star that appeared when jesus was born, they set off to find it. The journey took 12 days, hence the twelve days of christmas. Why did the confusion start? Who knows, maybe an attempt to tie christmas to the multi-day festival of saturnalia which always ended a few days before when christmas would start

[sheetsofemptycanvas]

I actually didn't know WHAT the 12 days of Christmas were! Thank you for sharing this, it makes sense

[Natalka]

I know, this has always bothered me as well - as to when the confusion began - but it's a secular view, I suppose.

In our church liturgical calendar, it's very clear. Christmas celebrations start Christmas Eve, and end on the Feast of Epiphany (Theophany).

[DaveP]

Can you imagine if the wise men were traveling from much further away and the journey took, say, a month or two. That song would just go on and on and on...

[DaveP]

34 Huskies barking
33 seals a-swimming
32 scratch and win cards
31 inches of snow
thirrrty seppparate bills!
29 something something...

[Darth Penguin]

I know, this has always bothered me as well - as to when the confusion began - but it's a secular view, I suppose.

In our church liturgical calendar, it's very clear. Christmas celebrations start Christmas Eve, and end on the Feast of Epiphany (Theophany).

Being a history nut, I know all about the Twelfth Night and the all feasts surrounding it.

It amuses and annoys me when some people say it's " Happy/Merry Christmas not Happy Holidays"...because it glosses over the Octave of Christmas which are 8 separate feasts which occur between 24th December and 6th January... Also a history nut thing..

[MortgageQueen]

Not sure about the whole thing with the 12 days of Christmas, BUT. . . the wisemen (aka -magi or astrologers) came from the area/region of Babylon which would have been around 700 kms. . .which minimum would have been 30 days or more travel.

Additionally they were led to Herod (king of Jews) 1st in Jerusalem then to Bethlehem. By time they got there, they found Jesus in a "house" not in a stable (*Matthew 2:11) and likely a toddler as he was referred to as a child, not a babe. (hence why King Herod ordered all the male children 2 and under to be murdered)

*King James Version Matthew 2:11And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

[DaveP]

Interesting. Thanks for posting MortgageQueen. I just read through that chapter in Matthew and you're right that there is no time given for their journey or even how long after His birth it occurred. I wonder how those numbers made their way into today's beliefs.

Edit: Matthew also doesn't say how many wise men there were. Huh.

[MortgageQueen]

Interesting. Thanks for posting MortgageQueen. I just read through that chapter in Matthew and you're right that there is no time given for their journey or even how long after His birth it occurred. I wonder how those numbers made their way into today's beliefs.

Edit: Matthew also doesn't say how many wise men there were. Huh.

Dave, I always love your curious mind.

It was just conjecture that took on a life of it's own in the early centuries.. . maybe as early as 5th or 6th.
Because there were 3 gifts mentioned, they just ascribed 3 men to it. If you researched Catholic encyclopedias, you can find a substantial mix of information on it.

As far as the time involved for their journey, the same encyclopedias have that info (somewhat buried)
Since the actual birthdate of Christ is unknown, there's no reason for any of the rest of it to be factual either I guess.

[gryphon]

The reason for the date of december 25th was interesting. The date of jesus's death was held to be around March 25th and christian scholars used talmudic passages that said a righteous man would die on the same day he was conceived to determine that if he was conceived on the 25th, he would be born on december 25th. There is a roman holiday on december 25th called sol invictus but heres the thing, sol invictus was an incredibly minor holiday that only got the name sol invictus around 95 ce. After early christmas celebrations maybe....

[Darth Penguin]

I'm glad we are not talking about this though...

http://www.snopes.com/holidays/chris...sic/12days.asp

[avoncallingu]

Yikes, I'm getting a head-ache! Then you throw in "St. Nicholas Day" (Dec. 8???? maybe?) I'll have to go to church more often. I know I usually don't take our Christmas tree down until Jan. 6 but we didn't put it UP this year (except for the Ceramic One.)

What about Advent? My first husband used to give me a gift every day of Dec. (One of his redeeming qualities.)

[Natalka]

Feast of St. Nicholas is December 7

Advent - the four weeks (Roman Catholics - the four Sundays) prior to Christmas Day

https://www.catholicculture.org/cult...archid=1586884

I'm Ukrainian Catholic, so instead of Advent, we have Pylypivka - St. Philip's Fast - which is longer (40 days, just like Lent), goes from the day after the Feast of St. Philip Nov. 15, until Dec. 24.

[Darth Penguin]

The Church of England( Anglican Protestant ) starts Advent at the same time.. 4th Sunday before Christmas Day..