The twelve days of Christmas begins on December 25 and end just before Epiphany, that falls on January 6. Epiphany is a Christian feast intended to celebrate the 'shining forth' or revelation of God to mankind in human form, in the person of Jesus Christ. The observance originally included the birth of Jesus Christ; the visit of the three Magi (Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar) who arrived in Bethlehem; and all of Jesus' childhood events, up to his baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist.

The Origin
The feast was initially based on, and viewed as a fulfillment of the Jewish Feast of Lights known as Chanukah. This was fixed on January 6 , but over time the western churches decided to celebrate Christmas on December 25. The eastern churches continued to treat January 6 as the day marking Jesus's birth. This has given rise in the west to the notion of a twelve day festival, starting on December 25 and ending on January 6,

Apart from the fun and enjoyment, knowing the religious aspect of Christmas is equally important. As per the Bible, there is no set of rules or procedure, according to which Christmas has to be celebrated. Thus, there is an immense number of customs that surround Christmas, and it varies from country to country. Many aspects, such as the Christmas tree, the Yule Log and the exchange of gifts are taken from the earlier pagan holiday of Romans. In most Western countries, Christmas celebrations have both religious and secular aspects.

Because of the lack of Biblical instructions, Christmas rituals have been shaped by the religious and popular traditions of each culture that celebrates the holiday. Traditionally, the sacred Christmas season starts with Advent, which begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and continues to Christmas Day. The sacred season ends on Epiphany, January 6.

The Advent
During Advent

The Tradition of Christmas festival has gradually evolved from times that long represented the Christian period. All the traditions and customs performed on this day are only the extension of Roman Pagan to Christian ceremonial. The tradition of Christmas include the 12 days of Christmas, the bright fires, the yule log, the giving of gifts, carols, the feasts, and the church processions, can all be traced back to the early times.

With the passage of time, the nature of Christmas celebration has undergone tremendous change and every year a new tradition begins. Christmas, celebrated to remember and honor the birth of holy Jesus, has evolved from a staunch religious affair into a merry hearted event that include carnivals, cookies and off course Santa Clause.

The Traditional Elements Of Christmas:

Yule Log
The burning of the Yule Log was taken from ancient sun worship rituals. Yule Logs are supposed