Twelfth Night!

by Mary Jo

This is the last of the Word Wench Christmastide posts, which celebrate the time between Christmas and Epiphany, so I decided to research the holiday a bit more.  It might be celebrated on either January 5th or January 6th, depending on whether Christmas Day is counted as the first day, or Boxing Day, the 26th, is the first. 

In some parts of the world it's called the Feast of the Three Kings because the holiday celebrates the arrival of the Three Kings or Three Wise Men as they followed the star to Bethlehem to celebrate the arrival of 'the newborn king.' 

Even as a kid, I wondered about the logistics of this.  They couldn't have been very far away if they reached their goal in twelve days, and how accurate would a star be for guidance?  The traditional pictures usually show the star hovering over the stable like an LED lit drone.  Really?

 

But legends have power and the religious meaning of Twelfth Night still resonates.  Wikipedia has all kinds of interesting information about the holiday.  One wide spread tradition says that Twelfth Night is the time to take down the Christmas decorations.  This makes sense to me.  Holiday greens are probably drying out by January 6th, and it's also time to get on with the new year. 

As with most holidays, eating and drinking are a big part of the celebration and there are a range of king cakes made for the occasion.  This luscious looking Catalan cake is called Roson de Reyes. 

I particularly liked this tidbit from Wikipedia:  "The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, in London has had a tradition since 1795 of providing a Twelfth Night cake. The will of Robert Baddeley made a bequest of £100 to provide cake and punch every year for the company in residence at the theatre on 6 January. The tradition still continues." Leave it to the British to keep that tradition running for over 200 years! 

I also enjoyed learning that in Ireland, statues of the three kings are placed in the crib on Twelfth Night, another lovely tradition.

But one of my favorite stories is the modern meme that says if three wise women had come, they'd have asked directions so they arrived on time and could help deliver the baby. They would have brought practical gifts (diapers?), cleaned the stable, and made casseroles. And there would be peace on earth. <G>  Hard to argue with that!

Do you have any Twelfth Night habits or customs you observe?  I'd love to hear them!

Mary Jo

Comments

[Denise]

I have enjoyed all of the Christmastide posts, thank you. My mother always took a bit of the straw from the manger at Church every year on the Epiphany and placed it in her wallet. The hope was the manger straw would be good luck and keep the wallet full of money. I have continued the tradition and I always smile when I see the straw in my purse, reminding me of Mom.

[Alyssa]

I have no relevant traditions but enjoyed this posting and may consider starting some!

[Karin]

I don't have any traditions but that Roson de Reyes looks very much like New Orleans King Cake. It's also named after the Three Kings, but down there they eat it from January all the way until Mardi Gras. When I worked in an office, we had a client in New Orleans who would ship us a King Cake every year at the relevant time. Honestly....I found it to be nothing special to eat, but very pretty with the colored icings and a lovely tradition.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Denise, what a nice tradition, especially since it connects you with your mother.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Alyssa, I hope you start some traditions that resonate with you! In our busy lives with jobs, commercialization, etc, it's easy to lose track of some of our cultural traditions.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Karin, I had some very ordinary king cake when I was in New Orleans, but as you say, the colors are pretty and the tradition is lovely. (But if they switched the tradition to chocolate cake, I wouldn't object. *G*)

[Pamela Sherwood]

Twelfth Night fascinates me as a holiday (to the point where I actually wrote 2 novellas about it one year ): all the rituals that are unknown to most of us Americans. So I was delighted to see a bakery at the original Farmers Market displaying a King cake complete with the gilt paper crown on top! Didn't think to buy it, though. Maybe next year.

BTW, Mary Jo, your comment about the three wise women reminded me of this poem by Norma Farber:

The Queens came late, but the Queens were there
With gifts in their hands and crowns in their hair.
They’d come, these three, like the Kings, from far,
Following, yes, that guiding star.
They’d left their ladles, linens, looms,
Their children playing in nursery rooms,
And told their sitters: “Take charge! For this
Is a marvelous sight we must not miss!”
The Queens came late, but not too late
To see the animals small and great,
Feathered and furred, domestic and wild,
Gathered to gaze at a mother and child.
And rather than frankincense and myrrh
And gold for the babe, they brought for her
Who held him, a homespun gown of blue,
And chicken soup–with noodles, too-
And a lingering, lasting, cradle-song.
The Queens came late and stayed not long,
For their thoughts already were straining far-
Past manger and mother and guiding star
And a child aglow as a morning sun-
Toward home and children and chores undone.

[Annette N]

Pamela, I loved your poem and I thank you.

Mary Jo, I enjoyed this post.

I generally take my decorations down after Twelfth Night. I always am in awe when I consider the 3 kings coming to honor my Lord.

Thanks for reminding me of all the joy.

I hope everyone is well and safe and happy.

[Kareni]

Thank you, Mary Jo, for this final lovely post. Best wishes to all!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Pamela, what a wonderful poem! I wonder if it inspired the internet meme--or vice versa!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Annette, I'm so glad you enjoyed the post. Thank you for the best wishes which we can all share.

[Mary Jo Putney]

You're very welcome, Kareni. And now Christmastide has signed off for another year....

[Katja]

There is a Kings Cake in Switzerland too, which I love to eat. It's a sweet yeast cake (with or without raisins or sometimes chocolate bits) at least in the Swiss German part, apparently the French speaking part uses puff pastry. And in one of the buns there is a little figurine. If you find that, you're crowned king (or queen), though Switzerland being firmly democratic, that doesn't really mean anything ;)
You can find a picture and a recipe (in German) here: https://www.bettybossi.ch/de/Admin/Display/1067314/-point-19-01-02

[Katja]

That is a very sweet tradition, now I'm sorry that I have no straw in my small nativity scene