Twelve days of Christmas

The party must go on. The modern tendency to start Christmas early. However, Christmas is not over, like Easter the Christmas will go on for the next twelve days which ends with Epiphany.
This year we  celebrated twelfth day of Christmas or called Epiphany which means ' manifestation'- we celebrate the day which Our Lord was shown to a wider public, and in particular  wise men from a far country came to worship Him.

The feast of Christmas or Christmastide goes on. we don't keep  by putting trees out..The celebration of the Lord's nativity cannot  disposed of in a singe day. Ideally we shouldn't give up on Christmas until Candlemas on February 2 according to tradition (Advent to Epiphany book by Vincent Ryan OSB).

In Britian it's old name is twelfth Night and tradition to take decors down. Shakespeare wrote play in honour of twelfth Night. The keynote of the feast is joy and fun; Christ is with us,...He is among men, A child who is to become our Savior.

One of the other element in this feast is the guiding star which led wise men to Bethlehem and star as a symbol of faith..reward of faith is face to face vision of God.

''On this day, Lord God
by a guiding star you revealed your  only begotten son
to all peoples of the world.
Lead us from the faith by which we know you now
to the vision of your glory, face to face''.

The above prayer represents our own life as a pilgrimage, a pilgrimage of faith. We are the Magi, Faith is our guiding star.Bethlehem is our goal.

The traditional way is to get house blessed by using the chalk blessed day before.
This is the climax of Christmas and a day for a party and make the enthusiasm for this day infectious.

Today we went for Holy Mass and then It was a great chance to do Carols in St Joseph Home with Seymour family. There were lot of songs especially children sang ''We three kings of orient ...and  On the first day of Christmas my true love send to me....'' Annu and Munnu played in piano and was great. Theresu was so keen in singing Twelve days but gave up once reached home.

There was some feasting at home once we reached home . Annu and Theresu helped with preparing different dishes with 'twelve days of Christmas song'...Prepared pear for the first day , two turtle doves, three french hens with ...four calling birds with ... five gold rings with onion rings, 6 geese are laying with some eggs, seven swans are swimming...and go on...


'Twelve days of Christmas song came in Elizabethan period when faith was prohibited to practise with a hidden catechism...

In the front is Galette des rois which is a traditional french cake  for Epiphany and a small token was hid for who to be the king in our family. It was so fun and none of us got it and Geo didn;t want to try as he is not having much food these days and finally came to realise Geokuttan's piece got the token. Whoever recieves the token will be preparing the epiphany cake and wear the crown next year

Children dressed up as wise men and our wise men nearly reached baby Jesus as we were moving wise men a little steps closer to Him every day. Also reminds us Christina Rossetti's nice Epiphany song...In the bleak mid winter.....

If you're keen you can can make twelve days of Christmas lapbook and have a look at shower of roses blog.

Moreover today we have baptism day of both Munnu and Geo in our family. Later tonight with the blessed chalk Jobychayan did Epiphany blessing on the door lintel.

'' When they saw the star they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw baby  and  Mary the mother. They worshiped Him and offered gifts'' Mathew 2

On the Feast of Epiphany

It was 12 days of Christmas and  the feast of Epiphany falls.  Visit of wise men  and revelation of Jesús to the world. Also celebrate today the Baptism of the Lord ; Mich and Geo celebrate their baptism days.

  It is the tradition to have an Epiphany feast and house blessings on the day. Jo marked the House with blessed chalk. It was written 20 +C +M + B+ 23...which means Christ Bless the Home or the letters indicant the name of wise men.

Tried to incorporate something for each days in connection with 12 days of Christmas song.

We had a mini Epiphany tea  along with we sang 12 days of Christmas. Our friends turned up too.

   There was king cake not the proper one, instead a ciclistes gataeux  and it was Annu who got the coin hidden to become the king or wise men of the day.

          Happy Feast of Epiphany  

Celebrating feast Of Epiphany.

It was a great feast of Epiphany. Though it was last Sunday church celebrated the Epiphany , we celebrated on traditional day of Jan 6. It was the day Munnu received baptism and our new term started on same day.

Since in Britian, its old name is twelfth night, kidoos decorated the altar with 12 ornaments reminding 12 days of Christmas and played the old song about the Twelve days of Christmas.  According to Mrs Jones, the song was used from 1550 to 1820 as a  way to teach children about church doctrine, which was prohibited that time.

 ''On the first day of Christmas the true love send to me
A Partridge in a pear tree....''

 'We three kings ' was played all day  and Munnu even performed it little bit in piano for our Christmas celebration.




                                                          Our Altar

King cake (Mardi Gras) was made and plan was to hide baby Jesus, so that the person who got it will be crowned as king which sounded not good to Annu, so we abandoned it.

                   Kids received three small gifts which was kinder joy their favourite and did some dressing up as wise men.

There is a traditional way to end epiphany is to bless the house. In some parts of Poland the priest visits all the houses of the parish and bless houses. Elsewhere in Europe various specific items are taken to church the day before epiphany to be blessed; chalk, water and incense.(All these taken from A book of feast and seasons from Joanna Bogle). The blessed chalk is used to write initials above the main door of the house, together with the year and a cross like this 20 + k+M + B+15.One of our friend priest was invited to bless our house and had a meal with him and it was a blessed time.

Towards the end children took all the Xmas decors down.

Feast of Epiphany

Today celebrates the 12 days of Christmas in England and Feastcof Epiphany.

George along with me making a crown for the Epiphany King.

Decorating crown with jewels..

The time for Epiphany banquet, prepared a cinnamon crown instead of usual King crown cake. Also hid a baby Jesus medal inside  whoever receive will be the King of the day.  Mich was the one and both gro n Mich celebrates their baptism day also.

12 days of Christmas- Epiphany

It was Feast of Epiphany on 6th January. Visit of three wise man and more significantly the revelation of Christ to the world.This used to be  known as 12 days of Christmas in England.Days of joy and spirit of Christmas remains and on the feast culminates the celebration .Eastern rite celebrates Baptism of the Lord . At home we have the baptism day of two of our boys. So we have been feasting those days.

There used to be a beautiful tradition of blessing homes which stems up from Old testament Passover story. 

      Prayer for blessing the Home

Tried to incorporate the meanings of 12 days with 12 points of faith, which is so beautiful. After Hmass, back home started preparing some deserts and meals for the day. Everyone was there to help.Galette de rois was made with two gold coins hid in it for the King of the day. Annu helped with preparing for gold rings and stuffs with short crust pastry.

Meanings of '12 days of Christmas' song 

 Song sung by Mundackals

Drummers drumming , Lords are leaping.

      Turtle doves representing Old and New testaments. 

    Swans are laying- trifle pud

     Fruit of Holy spirit

  Epiphany special Gallete de rois....French version. This time it came out far better than usuals.

Partridge in a pear tree symbolizing Jesus came for us.

There was a mini quiz as a family.  Little ones were so keen to open the gift and finally opened their teeny weeny gifts

Over weekend, we had a small gathering of children and some of them done beautiful work on 12 days .

    Have a blessed feast of Epiphany

Feast of Epiphany- Welcone 2024

The Feast of Epiphany-manifeststion of son of God to the world. Also it is knoen as 12 days of Christmas in Britain from the olden traditions...

   The dinsl day of twelve days snd Christmas decors down. We had our bith sons crlebrate their baptism day too. Had s mini feast

 Made  French de Galauux  and hid coin , geo got it, Whiever gets coin will be king of  the day.

Wise mrn from nativity play celebrated among home edders.

High points of the party could be appearance of three kings, story of three kings, a galette. Final day to sing Song- Twelve days of Christmas.

  We had cookies and roast. Prepared by big kids.

Thf day to culminate with Epiphany blessing on the doors using the blessed chalk.

  Happy Feast of Epiphany

term holiday- Epiphany

As closing to the feast of Epiphany or twelve days of Christmas, JY children were invited to our home just to have a fun time with nature walk, football, movie and meal. Six families sent their children and was a lovely day though it was terribly freezing. Nature walk was brilliant with some fun time at park.

Once reached home, there was a king cake cutting and surprisingly Geo became the king, whom found the piece of bread with little cross. My bread looks bit crumbly but was ok in real. Annu decorated with colored sugar sprinkles and icing and turned out well.

Mich is making Galette de Rois(french ) on the day of Epiphany. Home was blessed by Jochaya using the blessed chalk and prayers.. Finally our three kings were found out by Theresu and waas presented to baby Jesus to pay homage.

So it was a blessed day , Epiphany of  the Lord , manifestation of the Lord to the world. Eastern churches celebrate it as the baptism of the Lord. Finally decors of Christmas are down,  '' We three king and twelve days of Christmas'' were sung to continue the christmas spirit.