… and a partridge in a pear tree?

Most of us recognize the song that starts, ‘On the first day of Christmas…,” but how many know the real origin of those famous twelve days?

Are they Christian?  Are they Pagan?

And, when do the twelve days start, anyway?  Do we celebrate the beginning of them, the conclusion, or every day?

BABYLON

The Mesopotamians may have started it in Babylon.

The festival was Zagmuk, their twelve-day festival of renewal that began their new year. According to lore, this celebration honored their chief god, Marduk, who brought order to a chaotic world.

At the darkest time of year, Marduk needed the help of humans to defeat Chaos once again.

In Babylonian traditions, Chaos was an actual god.  His natural state was inertia.  Anything that upset inertia was a threat to Chaos, and he tried to destroy it.

Pop Quiz: Where was Babylon?

Answer: About 50 miles south of modern Baghdad, just north of the Iraqi town of al-Hillah.

For more information, see A Brief History of Babylon. [Link]

EGYPT

Others claim another source for the 12 days.

They explain that the tradition began 4000 years ago in Egypt.  There, an annual twelve-day celebration signified the twelve divisions of their calendar year.

During these twelve days that started at the Winter Solstice, Egyptians celebrated the rebirth of Horus in his new form, the Sun.

At this festival’s conclusion, the new year began — just as ours does today — approximately 12 days after the Solstice.

PERSIA AND GREECE

Next, the Persians and the Greeks adopted the twelve-day festival, as Sacaea.

In Persia’s Sacaea traditions, servants swapped roles with their masters, so their masters served them.

(This holiday tradition is still in practice today in various parts of the world.)

In Greece, Sacaea celebrated Zeus’ defeat of Kronos (the original “Father Time”) and the Titans.

Sacaea also marked the annual ritual to protect the family–especially children–from the Kallikantzaroi (Christmas goblins).

The Kallikantzaroi are faeries or imps who live underground but visit our world between December 25th and January 6th, to wreak havoc here.

To protect the home from Kallikantzaroi, it is traditional to leave on the doorstep something with many holes in it.

Apparently, the Kallikantzaroi love to count, but–in our world–can’t safely count above two (three being a holy number). When they pronounce the number three, they are instantly returned to the Underworld.

ROME

The Persian and Egyptian versions of the twelve-day festival merged in Rome, where the celebration became Saturnalia.

During Saturnalia, people dress up in costume, visit friends, and exchange gifts.

In fact, it is from this Roman tradition that historians trace our “Christmas gift” traditions.

MITHRAS

In addition to the Winter Solstice festival, the Romans also adopted the Persian god, Mithras (or Mithra).  He was the sun god worshipped by Constantine, who made Christianity the official religion of Rome.

Mithras was the “Unconquered Sun”.  Like Jesus, he was called “the light of the world”, and we can trace Mithras’ popularity to the sixth century, BCE.

Mithras’ birthday was the 25th of December, but that’s not the only parallel with Jesus Christ:

• Mithras’ birth was attended by shepherds.
• At the end of his time on earth and before returning to his father, Mithras celebrated with a “last supper” involving bread and wine with his twelve followers (sometimes linked to the twelve signs of the zodiac).
• Mithras was put to death on a cross, and just as he was born in a cave, he was buried in a cave until he rose to join his father.
• Mithras’ followers await his return when he will raise the dead and begin a final judgement of all who have lived on earth.
• Mithras’ and Jesus’ birthday also coincide with the birthday of another, earlier Roman god who led the cult of Sol Invictus.

AND THE REST IS HISTORY

As Christianity spread–and with it the celebration of Christmas (and its “twelve days”)–more Pagan traditions were incorporated into the celebration.

And by Shakespeare’s time, the twelve days had spawned another celebration, Twelfth Night.

But, it probably started with the Babylonians and the Egyptians.

Whether you begin your “twelve days” on the Winter Solstice or with Christmas, may your 12 days (and many past then) be filled with blessings and delights of the season.