Many Christians in the past marked the end of Christmas on the Twelfth Night.What image pops up in your mind when you key the word Christmas is mentioned? For most families, it’s the time when the holidays start.The air around this period in the room is chilly and filled with personal excitement and happiness with your group. A vivid image of A Christmas Tree in the room covered in sparkling lights and twinkly decorations. In the Bible, a triangular-shaped tree symbolizes Jesus Christ. It represents the trinity carrying it to your home will bring a new life. During the winter solstice, Pagans used the evergreen fir tree to decorate their homes as it marked the arrival of Spring.The crown of thrones worn by Jesus Christ on the cross is symbolized as an emblem of immortality and is considered as such. Did you know during the festival of Saturnalia, Romans used fir trees to decorate the temples? Christians believed fir trees were a sign of an everlasting life with God. After you are done taking down your Christmas decorations and ornaments, do learn more about why do Christians fast and why do we eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday.Why do we have Christmas trees?In Latvia, the first-ever documented Christmas tree was claimed in 1510. This particular idea slipped from Latvia, along the Baltic Sea to Germany in the 1500s and was developed into a custom of having Christmas trees. Later, a German preacher named Martin Luther brought the Christmas tree into his home telling his children that it is beautiful and it represents Jesus Christ. Firstly, it was decorated with edible things like gold-covered apples and gingerbread in Germany, then small ornaments were used for decorating.As far as history goes, where did the tradition of putting a Christmas tree come from in England? It is very fascinating to learn. Traditionally, this dates back to the time where King George III was on the throne during the Georgian Period in England. King’s German wife, Charlotte was fond of decorating trees in her house for her family in the 1790s. So, she set up the first Christmas tree in the UK. This idea became popular during the rule of Queen Victoria. A drawing named ‘The Queen’s Christmas Tree at Windsor Castle’ became famous to people of the UK and USA as it was published in the London News. During those times, the trees were decorated with candles to illustrate stars. The use of tinsel became popular during these times.When is the right time to put up and take down your Christmas tree?1 November marks the beginning of celebrating the festive journey as the Christmas lovers commence the decoration of their home. It is believed that one should not buy the Christmas tree before the first week of December as it is necessary for the tree to survive for four weeks. This marks an official start of the festive season. One of the important traditions in Christianity is Advent, which is the period before Christmas to celebrate the commencement of preparation. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas when the Christmas tree should be put up. To turn the house into a festive abode 12 days before Christmas day, that is, on 13th December, the decorations start to take place. Meanwhile, people enjoy these 12 days.The tradition follows that Twelfth Night is the most suitable and appropriate time to take down the Christmas tree and all festive decorations. Twelfth Night is a reference to the twelfth night after Christmas Day. It’s believed to be superstitious if one waits too long after the Twelfth Night as it can bring bad luck. According to the Christian tradition, January 5th or 6th is the day that marks the time when The Three Kings or Wise Men attended baby Jesus and is called The Epiphany. Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasarwere the Wise Men. Although some people take the Christmas tree down whenever it’s convenient for them. It could be New Year’s Eve or even the day after Christmas as it’s hard to hang up all these ornaments and they should enjoy it as long as they want to.Is it bad luck to take your Christmas tree down early?As far as the tradition goes, and if you’re superstitious, to avoid any bad luck you should take your Christmas tree down and the decorations before midnight on New Year’s Eve. According to the Christian tradition, Christians usually take it down on The Twelfth Night as it’s the 12th day after Christmas. Traditions follow that a day sooner or later is considered unlucky.The story goes as it is believed that the tree spirits, Holly and Ivy, who take shelter in the Christmas tree need to be released once the holidays are over. The day before Thanksgiving is considered to be the first scenic day of holiday lights. Lights should also be taken down at the Three Kings Day, that is, on the last day of the 12 days of Christmas. Observance of Epiphany, that is, God’s revelation in human form, is considered to be on the 6th of January.Why is it a tradition to take Christmas trees down on the 6th?Cutting the Christmas tree is indeed typically less enjoyable than decorating one. Christmas should be celebrated (and your decorated tree should be left up) until January 6th, according to tradition.Christian tradition says that the arrival of the three kings in Bethlehem on 6th January marks the end of Christmas.This is known as The Feast of Epiphany, Twelfth Night, or Three Kings Day in various areas of the world, and even rivals the celebration of Christmas Day.As the Christmas season officially ends on Epiphany, the holidays are far from finished. Because January 6th also symbolizes the start of the Mardi Gras season, it’s customary to offer King Cake on that day. The custom of Three Kings Day is really where the name ‘king cake’ originates from—and why there’s a little plastic baby buried within.The History Behind When To Take Your Tree DownThe use of evergreens as a symbol in ancient Egypt and Rome precedes the German tradition of lit Christmas trees, which was brought to America in the 1800s.Twelfth Night, the conclusion of Christmas, and the Eve of the Epiphany are celebrated with huge fervor, marking the coming of the Epiphany. The Epiphany, which falls on January 6th, commemorates the Magi – the Three Kings or Wise Men – paying a visit to infant Jesus in Bethlehem and presenting him with a gift box of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The deadline for cutting down your Christmas tree is January 6th. Another, maybe lesser-known custom dictates that you should take down your Christmas tree before midnight on New Year’s Eve (December 31st). If you keep your tree up for longer than this, it is said that you will have bad luck in the new year.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for when do you take down your Christmas tree, then why not take a look at why do we celebrate Navratri, or why do we celebrate Shivratri?
Many Christians in the past marked the end of Christmas on the Twelfth Night.
