Twelfth Night is the perfect time to celebrate the end of the Christmas season and the start of a new year.
Twelfth Night also known as Epiphany Eve is recognised as the last day of the Christmas festive season.
Here in Britain, Twelfth Night is a traditional Christian holiday that marks the end of the Christmas season.
When is Twelfth Night?
Twelfth Night is celebrated on the evening of January 5th, also known as the Twelfth Night of Christmas.
Origins of Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night has its origins in the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia, which was a celebration of the winter solstice and the god Saturn.
What to do on Twelfth Night
In the UK, Twelfth Night is traditionally marked by the removal of Christmas decorations and the end of the Christmas season.
It is also a time for parties, feasting, and merriment, and is often marked by the performance of plays, music, and other cultural traditions.
Some people also observe the holiday by participating in the tradition of “Twelfth Night cakes,” which are cakes or pastries that are baked with a small trinket or bean inside. The person who finds the trinket or bean in their slice of cake is crowned the “King” or “Queen” of Twelfth Night and gets to lead the celebrations.
What to do on Twelfth Night
- Take Down your Christmas Decorations
- Eat Twelfth Night Cake
- Go Out Wassailing
Celebrating Twelfth Night
In the UK, Twelfth Night is traditionally marked by the removal of Christmas decorations and the end of the Christmas season. It is also a time for parties, feasting, and merriment, and is often marked by the performance of plays, music, and other cultural traditions.
Some people also observe the holiday by participating in the tradition of “Twelfth Night cakes,” which are cakes or pastries that are baked with a small trinket or bean inside. The person who finds the trinket or bean in their slice of cake is crowned the “King” or “Queen” of Twelfth Night and gets to lead the celebrations.
Wassailing is a Twelfth Night tradition.
Wassailing is a traditional English Twelfth Night ceremony that involves singing to and blessing fruit trees in the hopes of a good harvest the following season. It has been practiced for centuries and has roots in pagan customs. Wassailing involves visiting orchards and drinking a hot, spicy punch called wassail, which is made with cider, perry, or ale.
There are two variations of wassailing: one involves groups of people singing and visiting houses with a wassail bowl, and the other involves blessing fruit trees in the countryside. The purpose of these festivities is to ensure a successful apple harvest for the coming year.
The word “wassail” comes from the Anglo-Saxon phrase “waes hael,” which means “good health.”
In the countryside, wassailing is a Twelfth Night tradition that involves visiting fruit trees and singing to them to bring good luck.
What to eat on Twelfth Night
If you love baking cakes this is a great reason to celebrate. Twelfth Cake, has been made to mark the Twelfth night festivities for hundreds of years. The cake is made full of spices, fruit and nuts which is then richly decorated.
Delicious Twelfth Cake is definitely worth a try if you haven’t had it before
Twelfth Cake traditions
Traditionally a dried pea or bean was placed in the cake. Whoever found it was made the Lord (or Lady) of Misrule for night. The Lord of Misrule then led the celebrations dressed asa King (or Queen). Not to be confused with a standard Christmas cake, this cake had a quirky significance attached to it. Baked inside the cake were a dried bean and pea, one in one half and the other in the second half. As visitors arrived to the feast they were given a slice of cake, ladies from the left and gentleman from the right. Whoever found the bean became King of the Revels for the night and the Queen was found with the pea, gaining power to instruct all to their heart’s content.
Quirky Traditions
Old Twelfth Night
The 17th January, is Old Twelfth Night, a date that is still celebrated in many rural communities throughout the Great Britain, particularly in the English counties where apples and orchards are prevalent, mainly Suffolk, Kent, Somerset, Herefordshire and Devon, and, where wassailing the apple orchards and trees is still celebrated. These English counties are also the main cider and apple juice producing areas of the UK too.
Delicious Twelfth Cake is definitely worth a try if you haven’t had it before
Twelfth Night Events
The traditional ceremony known as a wassail takes place in some villages and orchards across England.
Twelfth Night The Play
The Shakespeare play Twelfth Night, written around 1601, includes themes based on Twelfth Night celebrations
Delicious Twelfth Cake is definitely worth a try if you haven’t had it before
Twelfth Night, Bankside, London
Each year Twelfth Night is celebrated on London’s bankside riverside. To announce the celebration, the Holly Man appears from the River Thames. Afterwards the traditional St. George play is performed.
At the end of the play Twelfth Night Cakes are distributed. Those who find the hidden bean or pea are crowned King and Queen for the day.
Twelfth Night plays were traditionally performed and each year a festival is held outside the Globe Theatre, Bankside, London.
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