Well, it’s here. Twelfth Night; the climax of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Traditions like the ones we find for Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and Childermas may have been a bit thin of the ground for some of the twelve days, but there’s no shortage of them for Twelfth Night, long a New Year’s Eve style blowout so rowdy that the celebrations were occasionally banned.

For your Twelfth Night party, you might try your hand at baking a Scotch bun, or black bun – an impressively dense fruit cake encased entirely in pastry, traditionally eaten by Scots on Twelfth Night, and for a time by their American descendants in Appalachia, too.

Scotland is not the only country where fruit cake was served on Twelfth Night – though the pastry is a characteristically Scottish touch – with it being customary to bake a small bean or pea (or both) into the treat, and crown the person who finds them in their slice king or queen of the night.

Sometimes this temporary monarch would also fulfill the role of Lord of Misrule, or Master of Revels, empowered to play pranks and preside over games and other activities.

HERE WE GO A-WASSAILING. 

If you don’t have any St. John’s Love still going spare, not to worry – you’re really supposed to prepare another wassail bowl of mulled wine for Twelfth Night anyway.

You could even try your hand at going “a-wassailing,” as our ancestors did, going door to door with your spiced punch, inviting your neighbors to share a drink, and singing carols.

Another tradition involved singing to the health of fruit trees, which you could also try (if you have any), asking God to bless them with a good crop after winter.

WHAT’S IT ALL FOR? 

The purpose of Twelfth Night, in addition to closing out Christmastide in style, is to prepare us for the true conclusion to Christmastide; that is, the Feast of the Epiphany that they lead up to. Celebrated as Little Christmas or Three Kings Day in many countries, even to this day.

If they’ve been bothering you, take down your tree and your wreath, as Colonial Americans traditionally did on Twelfth Night. (If not, I’m afraid tradition dictates they have to stay up until Candlemas on February 2nd – though you may not mind that, if you’re a fan of Christmas cheer!)

CLOSING OUT THE CAROL. 

In the Twelve Days of Christmas carol which we have occasionally referenced in this series, and which is most people’s only clue that there are Twelve Days of Christmas, the last in the long list of gifts “my true love sent to me” are “twelve drummers drumming”.

They symbolize the Apostles’ Creed, a statement of faith which, according to tradition, was composed by the Twelve Apostles on Pentecost – though some argue it really dates from nearer the 5th century. It runs as follows:

I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into Hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.

Amen.