When do we take Christmas Decorations Down?..
Christmas formally begins on 25th December, with the birth of Jesus Christ.
The Twelfth Night is the last night of Christmas.
12 days from 25th December comes to the 5th January. According to the Church of England, the Twelfth Night is 5th January, and the day of Epiphany – when the three wise men came – is 6th January.
Epiphany is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus Christ, and is held on the 6th January.
Many people will by tradition, take their Christmas decorations down on the 6th January (Epiphany).
But: according to the BBC, Anglicans mark the Twelfth Night on the 5th January, while other churches use the 6th January.
Is it really bad luck to those who keep Christmas decorations up a minute after Twelfth Night?
What is the right tradition?
Samuel Pepys stated, in 1663, that the 6th January marked the final day of celebrations. “This night making an end wholly of Christmas,” he wrote on 6 January 1663 (The Diary of Samuel Pepys: A Selection)
Some might just play safe and take them down on the 5th.. (Sounds good to me.)
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