The 12 Days Of Christmas

The Diocese of Birmingham has provided a booklet about the 12 Days of Christmas.  Below is an excerpt. - - - - -

The Twelve Days of Christmas is probably one of the most beautiful parts of the church year. Most believe that it is the twelve days before Christmas when in all actuality it is the twelve days after Christmas. The celebration begins on December 25^th and ends at Epiphany on January 6^th.

 

The Octave of Christmas is a period of eight days starting with December 25^th, to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Why celebrate for eight days? The Hebrew people observed many of their feasts for a period of eight days. Later, the Roman Emperor Constantine continued the tradition by celebrating the dedication of basilicas in the Christian World for the same period of eight days.

 

You still may ask, why celebrate for eight days? Even back in the ancient world life was very hectic and filled with pressure and families had grown apart. Sound familiar? The Church granted this time so that we may fully contemplate the mysteries experienced in the Church’s liturgy.

If you would like to see the entire booklet or download it to your computer click the picture above.  When you click on the picture, you will be asked to "Open" or "Save".  The file is in the Microsoft Word format (.doc).  If you just want to look at the booklet, click "Open"; if you want to keep the booklet on your computer, then click "Save".  Once it is saved on your computer, you can then print a copy of the booklet.

This page was added on December 17, 2007