12 Days of Christmas

Twelve Days of Christmas
The Adoration of the Magi. Fresco in the Lower Church of the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi in Assisi, Italy
Observed by	Christians
Type	Christian
Observances	Varies by denomination, culture, and nation
Date	25 December – 5 January, inclusive
Frequency	annual
Related to	Christmas Day, Christmastide, Twelfth Night, Epiphany, and Epiphanytide

The Twelve Days of Christmas, also known as Twelvetide, is a festive Christian season celebrating the Nativity of Jesus Christ. In most Western ecclesiastical traditions, "Christmas Day" is considered the "First Day of Christmas" and the Twelve Days are 25 December – 5 January, inclusive. For many Christian denominations; for example, the Anglican Communion and Lutheran Church, the Twelve Days are identical to Christmastide, but for others, e.g., the Roman Catholic Church, "Christmastide" lasts longer than the Twelve Days of Christmas.

Because the Armenian Apostolic Church and Armenian Catholic Church celebrate the Birth and Baptism of Christ on the same day, they do not have a series of twelve days between a feast of Christmas and a feast of Epiphany.

The Oriental Orthodox, other than the Armenians, the Eastern Orthodox, and the Eastern Catholics who follow the same traditions do have the interval of twelve days between the two feasts. If they use the Julian Calendar, they celebrate Christmas on what is for them 25 December, but is 7 January of the Gregorian Calendar, and they celebrate Epiphany on what is for them 6 January, but is 19 January of the Gregorian Calendar.

For the Eastern Orthodox, both Christmas and Epiphany are among the Twelve Great Feasts that are only second to Easter in importance.