This is an edited repost from the archives.
During Elizabethan times, the twelve days between December 24 and January 6 were the most joyful of the entire year. The celebrations began on Christmas Eve with the Yule log being placed in the fireplace and set ablaze. It had to be large enough to burn, 24/7, until January 6th, also known as Twelfth Night. As they waited to attend midnight mass, the halls of great homes were decorated with holly and ivy and people visited their neighbors and sang carols in exchange for a spiced wine known as wassail. (The word “wassail” comes from the Old English phrase “waes hael” meaning “be well.”)
On Christmas Day, a young man would be chosen to preside over the twelve days of activities and he was called the Lord of Misrule. He would dress outlandishly and lead all of the dancing and games. He was basically the emcee for the twelve days of fun and festivities. He also coordinated with the local choirs and traveling mummers so there would always be music.
On New Year’s Day, small gifts were exchanged like oranges spiked with cloves, ginger cookies, and small bags of spices. On Twelfth Night, the last night of celebration, the Lord of Misrule would present one final night of feasting, dancing, and music before giving up his title. And, of course, there was a Twelfth Night cake. Usually it was a heavily spiced fruit cake that made up for the lack of sugar with tons of wine. Today, people serve fruit cakes, cheese cakes, and pound cakes. Basically, any kind of cake will do. The Elizabethans also added a coin or a bean to the cake. Whoever found the bean or coin would be King or Queen for the day and everyone had to do what they said, even the Lord of Misrule.
But why did this holiday season last until January 6, exactly 12 days after Christmas? Because January 6, aka The Epiphany, is the celebration of the day that the three Maji (wise men) arrived in Bethlehem to offer their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the baby Jesus. This moment represents the moment God as man was presented to the world. The word “Epiphany” comes from the Greek word “epiphaneia” which means “manifestation” or “reveal”. This feast day refers to the day that Jesus manifested himself to the gentile kings from the east. These kings represented all of humanity.
Here is the visit spelled out in the Gospel according to Matthew, Chapter 2:
“When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, … behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.’ …. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”
The Western Christian church names these kings as Melchior (Persian scholar), Caspar (Ethiopian scholar), and Balthazar (Arabian Scholar). The gifts they offered were the kind normally offered to a king. Myrhh was an anointing oil, Frankincense was a perfume, and gold was the most valuable asset available. These gifts also had a spiritual meaning since gold represents kingship on earth, frankincense was an incense that represented deity, and myrrh was used an embalming oil and represented death.
The Epiphany takes the birth of Christ, presents Him to the world, and hints at what was to come (Death and Resurrection). Therefore, in the Elizabethan world, this day was the final and most important day of the season. With dancing and cake and lots of festivities, the season ended with a promise of next year. Even the embers of the dying Yule log were collected to help start the Yule log fire the next year. But the next day, also known as Ploughman’s Day, was when all the decorations came down and people headed back to work. Most importantly in an agrarian society, those who worked in the fields took stock of what needed to be done to get ready for spring. It was even considered bad luck to keep the holiday decorations up after the Epiphany. So after you eat your Epiphany cake, save your embers and clean up your last holiday meal, it’s time to return to work. Until next year’s holiday season comes around!
