The West has historically observed a twelve-day festival, starting on 25
December, and ending on 05 January, a period known as 'Christmastide' or 'the
Twelve Days of Christmas' (My true love gave to me. . . A partridge in a pear
tree, Two turtle doves, Three French hens, Four calling birds, Five gold rings,
Six geese-a-laying, Seven swans-a-swimming, Eight maids-a-milking, Nine ladies
dancing, Ten lords a leaping, Eleven pipers piping, Twelve drummers drumming. .
.). Interesting choice of gifts. I hope he kept the receipt!
.JPG)
Epiphany is celebrated with
a wide array of customs around the world.
Including Eating and Drinking. In
some cultures, the greenery and nativity scenes put up at Christmas are taken
down. Some countries hold that it is
unlucky to leave the Christmas Decorations up after Epiphany.
In England, the celebration
is also known as Twelfth Night.
'Twelfth Night'; or, 'What You Will' is a comedy by William SHAKESPEARE with
romantic overtones, mistaken identity, sub plots, cross dressing and the
like. It is believed to have been written
around 1601–02, the first recorded performance was on 2 February 1602 (but the
play was not published until around 1623).
The play was meant as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas
season.
So, today
is 'Epiphany' and marks the end of the Christmas celebrations. I didn't really celebrate Christmas this year
as I have been poorly, and I feel that I have missed out. The decorations are cleared and packed away
for another year; it seems quite sad as all of the twinkling lights are gone
and it all seems a bit bare. This is
perhaps a time for reflection, to think about what has happened, what we hoped
would have happened, what didn't happen.
But, the New Year has begun, and we begin to start to look forward to
the Spring. Indeed, a time of new
beginnings.
Hi Han I too like Epiphany its our next term here in Durham. I hate technology so I am hoping this actually works? I like the 'blog' and will hopefully work out how to use it proeprly :) Ivan
ReplyDeleteProf, get you and the technology! Thanks for the comment, and thanks for coming with me on my journey. I look forward to you input x
DeleteEpiphany is the last of the twelve days of Christmas and also marked the end of the reign of the Lord of Misrule, who was allowed to cast aside the customary deference to his social 'betters'. The 'Lord' was appointed by various means according to local custom and, during his 'reign', the ordinary rules of life were turned updide down as masters served their workers. The Lord of Misrule presided over all of the Christmas festivities and had the power to command anyone to do anything during the holiday period. Needless to say, this ended abruptly on Twelfth Night and the normal social order was restored the following day! Twelfth Night was also a popular date for wassailing, or apple howling. Styles of ceremony varied widely across the country but most involve invoking some form of blessing on apple trees (or bees, cattle or crops) to ensure a bountiful harvest in the coming year. The winter solstice marked the low point of the agricultural year, with its (usually) cold weather, short days and long nights and was a catalyst for festivals associated with new beginnings. It was the party season of the year and so it was that the Christians decided to graft their celebration of the birth of Christ on to pre-existing pagan festivals. Waes Hael!
ReplyDeleteWaes Hael indeed John x
DeleteGood Morning Han, Congratulations on starting your blog,I love it and I have become a new follower so that I will not miss out on any of your posts. I enjoyed John's explanation about Epiphany.
ReplyDeleteThe family have returned to their homes and the Christmas lights are down,... well apart from the odd one or two, but do you know I don't mind as I know Spring is around the corner. I checked my garden the other day, and the snowdrops are peeking through the soil.....yes here in the North East! I can't wait for them to flower.
Lots of love to you,
Daphne xx
Morning Daphne, Thank You. Glad to have you along for the journey. I love snowdrops and am looking forward to what the spring will bring. Sending lots of love to you and George in the NE. Hx
DeleteReally enjoying your blog and looking forward to more (found details of an old Google account so I can comment now!)
ReplyDeleteDonna
YAY Donna. Glad that you can come along for the ride. I very much look forward to your input. Hx
DeleteMy favourite word is schöne, it is the German word for beautiful but when it's said it sounds like my name. I also like the German word for bedroom, schlarfzimmer. Literally translated it means sleep room, the word schlarf is much better than sleep xx
ReplyDeleteI think a sleep room sounds better than a bed room x
Delete