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Christmastide (also Christmas or the Christmas season) is one of the seasons of the liturgical year of most Christian churches. It tends to be defined (with slight variations) as the period from Christmas Day to evening of 5 January, the day before the start of the octave of Epiphany.[1][2] This period is also commonly known as the twelve days of Christmas, as referred to in the Christmas carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas", or Yuletide as in "Deck the Halls". During the season various festivities are traditionally enjoyed and buildings decorated. In some countries, by superstition it is bad luck to leave the decorations up after Twelfth Night.
In the Roman Catholic Church, Christmastide begins at the Christmas Vigil Mass[3] and runs until the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which falls on the Sunday after Epiphany (on 13 January in the pre-Vatican II calendar) and, in some more traditional Catholic circles, the Christmas season was formerly extended as far as February 2, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord/Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary ("Candlemas"). The Solemnity of Christmas itself begins on the Vigil of Christmas and continues for eight days in the Octave of Christmas.[citation needed] In the Church of England, the Christmas season begins at Evening Prayer on Christmas Eve and ends before Evening Prayer on the Eve of the Epiphany (which may be celebrated on 6 January or on the Sunday between 2 and 8 January).
[edit] References
- ^ Christmastide. Holy Trinity (German) Catholic
Church.
- ^ The Schema of Christmastide. Holy Trinity (German) Catholic
Church.
- ^ c.t.iannuzzo. The Liturgical Year. Le Poulet Gauche.
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