When To Take Down Christmas Decorations
A hotly disputed subject in at least one household and workplace all over the country, hopefully this will give the definitive answer.
"Twelfth Night is when all Christmas Decorations should be removed so as not to bring bad luck upon the home. If decorations are not removed on Twelfth Night, they should stay up all year." link
"6th January - According to a very old tradition, you should take down Christmas decorations on the Twelfth Day...it's unlucky to leave them up even a day longer!" link
So after googling for 2 minutes it seems it is also unclear on the internet when they should be taken down and what to do if you are late to do so. I dig further...
"Remember to take down every last Christmas decoration before the end of the evening of January 5th. It's seen as bad luck to keep trimmings up after Twelfth Night."
Link
"Epiphany, 6th January, is the traditional end of the Christmas holiday and is the date on which we take down the tree and decorations. To do so earlier is thought to bring bad luck for the rest of the year." Link
I'm really not getting anywhere here! But alas, finally after 25 minutes:-
"Today, the Twelfth Night after Christmas means the day(!) we take down the decorations. Twelfth Night is the evening of the 5th January and all day of 6th January."
A Kent junior school clears things up once and for all. Hopefully this is correct. If not please tell me the correct answer to my little poser.
The correct answer to my last little poser of "what is the lowest number you can't finish on with 3 darts" is 159.
posted by Toph @ 8:18 pm
2 comments
2 Comments:
Traditionally, it is taken down after the 12 days of Christmas are over, or the day after Epiphany.
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The Epiphany.
Christian tradition tells us that Jesus was born on December 25th but the Magi did not arrive in Bethlehem until January 6th.
January 6th is the Epiphany, sometimes called "Little Christmas" and is the day the Magi met the new born King and presented him with his royal gifts.
It is explained to children that If you take down your lights before January 6th, the wise men may not be able to find their way.
Well, the Magi didn't actually get there until two years later, per most interpretations of Matthew 2:16. Leaving your decorations up for two years probably isn't on, though.
It's also held to be the anniversary of Christ's first public miracle, the wedding feast at Cana. 8-10 years, also not an option.
Epiphany is also held to be the anniversary of Christ's baptism in some traditions. That would be what, 30-some years?
And of course, Luke doesn't mention the Magi at all, but that's another story ...
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