Christmas Decoration Traditions

When to take down Christmas decorations has caused some controversy and argument over the years.

This is because some people have different opinions on whether the twelfth night of Christmas is January 5th or 6th.

To put the argument to rest (and to impress your friends with your knowledge) the twelfth night of Christmas is actually January 5th.

This is because our ancestors had a different view from ours about when a day ended and a new one began. For us, the day ends according to our laws of astronomy, in the middle of the night.

However, for our ancestors, the day ended when the sun went down. This meant that for them, Christmas began on December 24th when the sun went down. The 6th of January is known as the feast of Epiphany and is often used to celebrate the bringing of gifts from the magi (3 wise men) to the infant Jesus.

It was considered bad luck if decorations were not removed by the twelfth night before the twelfth day of Christmas. If they were not taken down on this day, they should remain up all year.

This is because long ago people believed that tree-spirits lived in the holly, ivy and mistletoe that adorned their houses. It was believed that bringing greenery into the home would protect these spirits during the harsh winter months.

However, once this season was over, failure to return the tree-spirits to their natural habitat would result in spring not returning and perceived agricultural catastrophe.

Additionally these tree-spirits might cause mischief in the home until returned to their natural environment. The Victorians would traditionally take down their decorations on the twelfth night and burn them.

Another more recent 19th century tradition was to keep ivy, mistletoe, holly, lauren, box and yew up until Candlemas Day on February 2nd. This was 40 days after Jesus' birth and signifies the end of the Christmas season.

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