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Twelfth Night
A tradition still practiced in New Orleans
In 2019, a friend of mine and I visited New Orleans in January. Unfortunately, we were too late to participate in the Twelfth Night traditions that the city still practices.
What is Twelfth Night?
If you’ve ever heard the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, you have an inkling. People used to celebrate Christmas for twelve days after December 25th, ending on January 5th. For Christians in the West, that is the day the three Wise Men visited the baby Jesus. For Eastern Orthodox, it is the day of Jesus’ baptism.
While most Protestants seem to neglect what was once considered an important holiday, for centuries Christians of all faiths associated many fun traditions with Twelfth Night. Then, on January 6th was the feast of the Epiphany.
Apparently in the 1700s, Americans loved to celebrate Twelfth Night. They enjoyed holiday feasts that included creatures made out of marzipan and mincemeat pies. They also associated this day with romance.
It was a popular day for weddings. George and Martha Washington were among the colonists who were married on Twelfth Night.
On Epiphany, balls were held and many also participated in horse races.
