Mary Lourdes Bonnici MBA

  The Twelve Days of Christmas — History, Meaning and Tradition Day 64 of the Christmas Countdown From Christmas Day to Twelfth Night: faith, festivity, folklore, music and the changing calendar Mary Lourdes Bonnici MBA | Learning • Knowledge • Growth Introduction For many people Christmas seems to finish when the presents are opened on 25 December. Historically, however, Christmas Day marked the beginning of an extended season. The Twelve Days of Christmas connect worship, hospitality, visiting, music, shared food, seasonal games and the anticipation of Epiphany. They also survive in the remarkably memorable cumulative song in which a mysterious true love offers an ever-growing collection of gifts. Understanding this tradition therefore requires two different stories: the calendar of celebration and the history of the song. They overlap, but they are not identical. This article explores why the twelve days are usually counted from 25 December to 5 January, how Twelfth Night and ...

  79 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS Christmas Angels — Messengers, Art and Tradition Christmas Traditions, Stories & Festive Living At Christmas, angels seem to appear everywhere. They stand beside Nativity scenes, shine from Christmas cards, hang delicately from tree branches and sometimes take the place of the star at the very top of the Christmas tree. Yet the Christmas angel is much more than a beautiful seasonal decoration. Its story connects biblical narratives, Christian belief, centuries of sacred art and the development of modern Christmas traditions. To understand why angels became such enduring Christmas figures, we need to separate what appears in the biblical Nativity accounts from the imagery created by artists and the decorative customs that developed much later. 👼 What Does the Word “Angel” Mean? The English word angel ultimately comes through Greek angelos, meaning messenger. This idea of the angel as a messenger is particularly important when we look at the Christmas stor...