Twelfth Night — January 6 In Tudor England, the Twelfth Night marked the end of a winter festival that started on All Hallows Eve, or the Celtic New Year, Samhain. A King or Lord of Misrule would be appointed to run the  festivities, and the Twelfth Night was the end of his period of rule. The Lord of Misrule, known in Scotland as the Abbot of Unreason and in France as the Prince des Sots, was an officer appointed by lot at Yuletide to preside over the Feast of Fools. The Lord of Misrule's charge usually included drunkenness and wild partying, in the pagan tradition of Saturnalia. The common theme was that the normal order of things was reversed. In the medieval times, the Feast of Fool, would be a night of silliness and revelry by young people, who played the chief parts, chose from among their own number a mock pope, archbishop, bishop, or abbot to reign as Lord of Misrule. Participants would then "consecrate" him with many ridiculous ceremonies in the chief church of the place, giving names such as Archbishop of Dolts, Abbot of Unreason, Boy Bishop, or Pope of Fools. The ceremonies often mocked the performance of the highest offices of the church, while other persons, dressed in different kinds of masks and disguises, engaged in songs and dances and practiced all manner of revelry within the church building. In some places, Twelfth Night celebrations include food traditions, such as, the king cake — a ring of twisted bread similar to that used in brioche, topped with icing or sugar, usually coloured purple, green and gold — or tortell, a ring-shaped pastry stuffed with sugar and almonds (and sometimes rosewater as well) and topped with glazed fruit. In Ancient Greece, there would be held on Twelfth Night a mystic drama to prepare the way for Kore / Persephone's rise from the Underworld. Christianity changed Twelfth Night to the celebration of Epiphany, or the adoration of the Magi, which is marked in some cultures by the exchange of gifts. If you're superstitious, Twelfth Night is the night when all Yuletide or Christmas Decorations should be removed so as not to bring bad luck upon the home. If decorations are not removed on Twelfth Night, they should stay up all year! Sources: Pennick, N. The Pagan Book of Days, Destiny Books, Rochester, VT: 2001. Personal knowledge/traditions West, K. The Real Witches' Year. Elements, a subsidiary of HarperCollins, London, 2004. Wikipedia online encyclopedia Page last updated 6 Jan 2006 Website Design and Myths & Magic logo by Míchealín Ní Dhochartaigh Copyright © 2006 Ireland's OWN All Rights Reserved.