Tag Archives: Twelfth Night

The Twelve Days of Christmas

06 Wednesday Jan 2016

Posted by in Epiphany, Feasts, Hymnology

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hb_43_98_1

The Journey of the Magi by Stefano di Giovanni Sassetta, 1435 (Courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY)

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/43.98.1

Twelfth Night

A list of articles based on the Nativity was posted on 16 December 2015. It can be found at the foot of the current post. This year’s Nativity post is based on Twelfth Night & Carnival Season (8 January 2014), and the story of Epiphany, celebrated on January 6th. We are closing the “twelve days of Christmas.”

12-days-title

The Twelve Days of Christmas

  • Mirth without Mishief, 1780 (origin of lyrics)
  • cumulative and chain-song (type of song)
  • Roud Folk Song Index number of 68 (classification)
  • Frederic Austin, 1909 (composer)

The “Twelve Days of Christmas” is a song published in England in 1780 in a book of children’s songs entitled Mirth without Mischief. The song has a longer title: “The Twelve Days of Christmas Sung at King Pepin’s Ball.” There was a King Pépin, Pépin the Short, Pépin le Bref or, literally, Pepin the Brief, the first Carolingian to be king. And the song may be French in origin:

Cecil Sharp observed that from the constancy in English, French, and Languedoc versions of the ‘merry little partridge,’ I suspect that ‘pear-tree’ is really perdrix (Old French pertriz) carried into England”; and “juniper tree” in some English versions may have been “joli perdrix,” [pretty partridge]. Sharp also suggests the adjective “French” in “three French hens”, probably simply means “foreign”. (See The Twelve Days of Christmas, Wikipedia.)

It is a cumulative song, in folklore and Stith Thomson calls it a “chain song” in his Motif-Index of Folk-Literature (1955-1958). It is Roud Folk Song Index number of 68. 

On each of the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany, January 6th, a new gift is offered to the loved one: a ‘partridge in a pear tree,’ 2 turtle doves, 3 French hens, 4 Calling Birds, 5 Gold Rings, 6  Geese a-Laying,  7 Swans a-Swimming, 8 Maids a-Milking, 9 ladies Dancing, 10 Lords a-Leaping, 11 Pipers Piping, 12 Drummers Drumming.

The song’s current musical form was set by Frederic Austin (30 March 1872 – 10 April 1952) and dates back to 1909.

800px-XRF_12days

Botticelli_-_Adoration_of_the_Magi_(Zanobi_Altar)_-_Uffizi

Adoration of the Magi by Sandro Botticelli, 1475 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We Three Kings…

Associated with the Epiphany, the twelfth day of Christmas, or January 6th, is “We Three Kings.” The three kings are Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar. Spellings vary.

“[A]ccording to Western church tradition, Balthasar is often represented as a king of Arabia, Melchior as a king of Persia, and Gaspar as a king of India.” (Encyclopædia Britannica.) They brought gifts to Jesus. (See Biblical Magi, Wikipedia.)

The Julian & Gregorian calendars: Eastern & Western churches

The Western church does not celebrate Christmas on the same days as the Eastern church, the Orthodox church. In Russia, Christmas is celebrated on January 7th. The difference is due to the Orthodox church’s use of the Julian (45 BCE) rather than Gregorian calendar (1582 CE) to situate Christmas. Gregory VIII‘s (7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585) calendar introduced the leap year. In Russia, festivities begin on December 31st and end on January 10th. The Orthodox church has fewer days of Christmas. (see Christmas in Russia, Wikipedia ), but Advent begins on 28 November and lasts until December 31st. (See whychristmas.com.)

In the Western church, Christmas is celebrated on or near the Winter Solstice which, this year, was December 22nd. Protestant churches celebrate Christmas on the same day as Roman Catholics. But both the Western Christmas (Catholic and Protestant) and Eastern Christmas are celebrated at the same time as a former ‘pagan’ feasts. Therefore, the seasons have remained the marker. The Christianization of Kievan Rus’  dates to the year 988 CE, when Vladimir the Great was baptized in Chersonesus and then went on to baptise members of his family and the people of Kiev (Ukraine). (See Christmas in Russia, Wikipedia.)

Babushka

In Russia, a story is associated with the Kings of Orient (the Wise men), that of Babushka, who gives the kings a room to rest. They leave without her noticing. She goes to Bethlehem, but the kings have left. The origin of this story may be American. (See whychristmas.com.)

http://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/russia.shtml

With kind regards to every one. ♥

Nativity Feasts and Hymnology

Robert Shaw Chorale

800px-Sandro_Botticelli_083© Micheline Walker
5 December 2016
WordPress

Sandro Botticelli (detail)
Adoration of the Magi
(self-portrait)

Feasts and Hymnology

16 Wednesday Dec 2015

Posted by in Feasts, Hymnology

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head-of-christ-1652

Head of Christ by Rembrandt, c. 1650 – 52  (Photo credit: WikiArt.org)

The posts listed below tell the story of our Seasons, Feasts, Festivals and feature Christian Hymnology. Our first feast is Christmas (“The Four Seasons…”), the origin of comedy, and posts related to the birth of Christ.

This post will become a page, or a category, entitled “Feasts and Hymnology.”

Feasts and Hymnology

(to be continued)

800px-Bellini_maria1

Presentation of Christ at the Temple by Giovanni Bellini (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Giovanni Bellini  (c. 1430 – 26 November 1516) (art)
Giovanni Gabrieli (c. 1554-57 – 12 August 1612) (music)
Exultavit cor meum
O Jesu mi dulcissime from Sacrae Symphoniae, 1615
Concerto Palatino Ensemble 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W3a9w2ZMi4&w=854&h=480

Giovanni_Bellini_018

© Micheline Walker
16 December 2015
WordPress

 

 

 

 

Naked Young Woman in Front of the Mirror, Bellini’s first female nude, painted when he was about 85 years old, circa 1515)
(Giovanni Bellini, Wikipedia)

 

Twelfth Night & Carnival Season

08 Wednesday Jan 2014

Posted by in Art, Feasts

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The Adoration of the Magi

The Adoration of the Magi, a fresco, Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi by Giotto, c. 1831-32 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Paganism & Christianity

As you all know, early Christians transformed Pagan feasts into Christian feasts. It had to do with luminosity, the degree of brightness. Christmas is celebrated on or near the longest night of the year: the Winter solstice.

The Roman Saturnalia

It has long seemed somewhat peculiar that the night should be as long as day. In fact, it has been perceived as a kind of inversion. At that time of the year, Romans therefore celebrated Saturn, “a god of agriculture, but in classical times identified with the Greek Cronus deposed by his son Zeus.”[i] Saturn, as in Saturday, is also the name of a planet.

Traditionally, beginning on Christmas day, the first of the twelve days of Christmas, many things were inverted or reversed, as in the Roman Saturnalia:

“During the twelve days of Christmas, traditional roles were often relaxed, masters waited on their servants, men were allowed to dress as women, and women as men. Often a Lord of Misrule was chosen to lead the Christmas revels. Some of these traditions were adapted from older, pagan customs, including the Roman Saturnalia. Some also have an echo in modern-day pantomime where traditionally authority is mocked and the principal male lead is played by a woman, while the leading older female character, or ‘Dame’ is played by a man.”[ii]

The Greek Kōmos

As for ancient Greece, during that period of the year, a Kōmos,  or  “ritualistic drunken procession,” was performed by revelers out of a which grew Ancient Greek Comedy. Doubts subsist as to the origin of comedy, but it appears to be the Kōmos. (See Kōmos, Wikipedia)

Four Gentlemen and Pierrot, by Claude Gillot (Wikimedia)

Four Commedia dell’arte Figures by Claude Gillot (French; 1673 – 1722) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Karel Dujardin, Commedia dell'Arte show, 1657 (Louvre).

Karel Dujardin (Dutch; 1622 – 1678), Commedia dell’arte show, 1657 (Louvre). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Comedy  

Comedy is a reversal. The wise old man (the senex) is transformed into a senex iratus called alazôn in theatre of ancient Greece, the heavy father intent on marrying his daughter, or son, to a person he has chosen. At the end of the comedy, after a series of péripéties (twists and turns), the young couple, assisted by the eirôn, overcome the blocking character, the senex iratus or alazôn, and may marry.

Such is the basic plot of the commedia dell’arte, improvised plays on the same plot, called canevas in French. In the commedia dell’ arte, the characters are stock characters or archetypes. Seventeenth-century French dramatist Molière (15 January 1622 – 17 February 1673) wrote    farces, short plays such as the Précieuses ridicules (The Pretentious Young Ladies), using the plot of the deceiver deceived or trompeur trompé. However, the Bourgeois gentilhomme (The Middle-Class Gentleman), a five-act comédie-ballet, is also built on the trompeur trompé formula: a reversal. 

William Shakespeare‘s (26 April 1564 [baptised] – 23 April 1616) Twelfth Night, a comedy, was written to be performed on the eve (5 January) of Epiphany (6 January), the most festive of the twelve days of Christmas: its culmination. Twelfth Night ushers in the carnival season, which begins on 7 January and ends on Shrove Tuesday or Mardi gras, the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent (le carême).

Peter Paul Rubens' Death of Semele, caused by

Peter Paul Rubens‘ Death of Semele, caused by the theophany of Zeus [Saturn] without a mortal disguise (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Epiphany and Theophany

Epiphany is celebrated on 6 January in the Western church and it commemorates the arrival in Bethlehem of the Magi (the wise men): Melchior, Balthasar and Gaspar. They came from the east bearing gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.

According to the Oxford Dictionary of Phrase of Fable, “the Epiphany [is] the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles [non-Jewish] as represented by the Magi[.]”[iii] The word epiphany is also used to denote a moment of revelation.

As for Theophany, as its name suggests (theo = god), it is a revelation of the divine. Theophanies are an ancient phenomenon. Many occur in the Epic of Gilgamesh, an epic dating back to the 18th century BCE. The word theophany is the origin of the name Tiffany.

THE CAKE OR GALETTE

Epiphany, a joyous feast, is also called la fête des Rois (FR), the feast of the Kings. In Northern France, one eats the galette des Rois. But in Southern France, the galette is a real cake or a brioche, the gâteau des Rois. In the French Canada of my youth, mothers baked a cake (un gâteau) in which a pea (une fève) had been inserted. The person whose piece of cake contained the pea was crowned King or Queen. The galette des Rois is made of flaky paste (pâte feuilletée) filled with almond paste (frangipane), candied fruit, creams and chocolate. (See gâteau des Rois and galette des Rois, Wikipedia.)

During the Roman Saturnalia, the slave who ate the piece of galette or cake containing the pea (black or white) became the master for one day. However, merriment went further than this one reversal. Everything was upside-down: a mundus inversus.

Now, if Epiphany and Theophany, the twelfth day of Christmas, date back to the beginning of the written word, Mesopotamia (Sumer), the raucous events of the Roman Saturnalia and the Greek kōmos have survived and also characterize the carnival season, which, as noted above, begins on 7 January, the day after Epiphany (Western Church) or Theophany (Eastern Church).

Le Gâteau des Rois, par Jean-Baptiste Greuze, 1774 (musée Fabre).

Le Gâteau des Rois by Jean-Baptiste Greuze, 1774 (French; 21 August 1725 – 4 March 1805) (Courtesy musée Fabre).

Twelfth Night (The King Drinks) by David Teniers c. 1634-1640

Carnival (The King Drinks) by David Teniers, c. 1634-1640 (Flemish; 15 December 1610 – 25 April 1690) (Photo credit: WikiArt.org)

Conclusion

Therefore, we have seen once again that the seasons, or the degree of luminosity (brightness), have long dictated the timing of feasts, be they Pagan (Roman, Greek and earlier) or Christian. Christmastide is the season during which, for one day, night (darkness) is longer than the day or (brightness), a world upside-down. It is the day of the longest night. In 2013, the Winter solstice occurred on 21 December. In 2015, it occurs on 22 December.

Furthermore, the Christian tradition has preserved elements of the Roman Saturnalia, honouring Saturn. It has a considerably Pagan side. Twelfth Night is a moment of unabashed revelry rooted in the Roman Saturnalia and the Greek Kōmos, the probable birthplace of comedy, the wise old man becomes a fool, the senex iratus.

We have also seen the importance of the stars and planets. The Kings of Orient are guided by a star and the Roman Saturnalia is a celebration of Saturn (as in Saturday), the above-mentioned god of agriculture and a planet.

In short, the humble calendar remains one of our most precious artifacts.

We have now entered Carnival Season, a season we have not forgotten.  

A Happy New Year to all of you.

RELATED ARTICLES

Sources and Resources

[i] The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (Oxford, 2000).

[ii] Religion Facts : http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/holidays/twelfth_night.htm

[iii] The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (Oxford, 2000).

Antonio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741)
The Seasons (Winter)
Commedia dell'arte, by Claude Gillot

Commedia dell’arte by Claude Gillot

© Micheline Walker
7 January 2014
WordPress

Epiphany: Balthasar, Melchior & Gaspar

06 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by in Feasts, Sharing

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Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy: The Three Wise Men" (named Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar). Detail from: "Mary and Child, surrounded by angels", mosaic of a Ravennate italian-byzantine workshop, completed within 526 AD by the so-called "Master of Sant'Apollinare". (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy: “The Three Wise Men” (named Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar). Detail from: “Mary and Child, surrounded by angels”, mosaic of a Ravennate Italian-Byzantine workshop, completed within 526 CE by the so-called “Master of Sant’Apollinare”. (Caption and photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the Western Church, today is Epiphany,[i] the day on which is commemorated the arrival in Bethlehem of the Magi (wise men), the three kings of Orient who brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh.[ii] In the Eastern Church, the birth of Jesus and the Epiphany are on different days: the 7th of January and the 19th of January. It appears this discrepancy is due to the current 13-day[iii] difference between the Julian  calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BCE, and the Gregorian calendar, introduced by Pope Gregory VIII (7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585).    

But Epiphany (from the Greek epiphaneia or manifestation) is a trans-cultural  phenomenom. If it involves the manifestation, before mere mortals, of the power of a god, this manifestation is called a Theophany. Such was the case in “pagan” Greek mythology. The name Tiffany is an English form of the Greek Theophany.[iv]

For Christians, a godly manifestation is usually called an apparition. The Virgin Mary appeared to Sainte Marie-Bernarde Soubirous (7 January 1844 – 16 April 1879) 18 times, at Lourdes. The Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Fátima also appeared on the 13th day of six consecutive months, beginning 13 May 1917, at Fátima, Portugal.   

So, at the core of the word E/epiphany is the idea of a vision as well as the idea of a revelation. In fact, at the moment, the word simply means an important revelation, or what is often termed “a wake-up call.” An “epiphany” may change the course of a person’s life.[v]

Bethlehem Logo

However, for children born to French-speaking Canadians, Epiphany was  the commemoration of the arrival in Bethlehem of the three Kings of Orient, who were bearing regal gifts. The kings were named Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar. Balthasar was king of Arabia, Melchior, king of Persia, and, Gaspar, king of India. They had been guided by a star to see, i.e. a manifestation, the child Jesus.

—ooo—

In my family, Epiphany was a very special day. We received gifts from our parents. Moreover, on that day we ate the cake in which a bean had been inserted. The person who ate the piece of cake containing the bean was crowned King or Queen. It was lovely and magical (as in “Magi”), and we enjoyed the fact that it was always a holiday.

Epiphany was also the twelfth day of Christmas (Twelfth Night is the night before Epiphany). Epiphany therefore ended the festivities linked with the birth of Jesus. On that day, we took the decorations off the tree and wrapped them carefully so they could be used again and again.

However there was a dark side to the event that was carefully separated from the arrival of the Kings. The Kings of Orient were told by an angel that they should travel home a different way. Similarly, Joseph was told in a dream to depart immediately and take Jesus and Mary to Egypt. Herod ordered the massacre of all male infants just born in Bethlehem. This event is known as the Massacre of the Innocents.

_________________________

[i] “Epiphany.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 05 Jan. 2013. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/190101/Epiphany>.

[ii] “Epiphany.”
– the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12), ←
– the festival commemorating the Epiphany on 6 January,
– a moment of sudden and great revelation or realization.
<http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/epiphany>

[iii] “Since the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, the difference between Gregorian and Julian calendar dates has increased by three days every four centuries.”
Gregorian Calendar, Wikipedia
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar>

[iv] “Tiffany.” Wikipedia
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiffany_(given_name)>

[v] “Epiphany.”
– the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12),
– the festival commemorating the Epiphany on 6 January,
– a moment of sudden and great revelation or realization. ←
<http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/epiphany>

 
We Three Kings: Epiphany Montage,

arrangement by Eugene Ormandy (18 November 1899 – 12 March 1985)

 
The Magi

© Micheline Walker
6 January 2013 (2nd posting, revised)
WordPress

 
 

Epiphany: Balthasar, Melchior & Gaspar

06 Friday Jan 2012

Posted by in Feasts, Sharing

≈ 16 Comments

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Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy: The Three Wise Men

Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy: “The Three Wise Men” (named Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar). Detail from: “Mary and Child, surrounded by angels”, mosaic of a Ravennate italian-byzantine workshop, completed within 526 CE by the so-called “Master of Sant’Apollinare”. (Caption and photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the Western Church, the 6th of January is Epiphany,[i] the day on which is commemorated the arrival in Bethlehem of the Magi (wise men), the three kings of Orient who brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh.[ii] In the Eastern Church, the birth of Jesus and the Epiphany are on different days: the 6th of January and the 19th of January. It appears this discrepancy is due to the current 13-day[iii] difference between the Julian calendar, introduced by Julius Cesar in 45 BCE and the Gregorian calendar, introduced by Pope Gregory VIII (7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585).    

But Epiphany (from the Greek epiphaneia or manifestation) is a trans-cultural phenomenon. If an epiphany involves the manifestation before mere mortals of the power of a god, this manifestation is called a Theophany. Such was the case in Greek mythology. The name Tiffany is an English form of the Greek word Theophany.[iv]

For Christians, a godly manifestation, is usually called an apparition. The Virgin Mary appeared to Sainte Marie-Bernarde Soubirous (7 January 1844 – 16 April 1879) 18 times, at Lourdes. The Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Fátima also appeared on the 13th day of six consecutive months, beginning May 13th, 1917, at Fátima, Portugal.   

So, the word epiphany encompasses the idea of a vision and that of a revelation. In fact, at the moment, the word usually means an important revelation, or what is often termed “a wake-up call.” An epiphany may change the course of a person’s life.[v]

owever, for children born to French-speaking Canadians, Epiphany was the commemoration of the arrival in Bethlehem of the three Kings of Orient, who were bearing regal gifts. They were named Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar. Balthasar was king of Arabia, Melchior, king of Persia, and, Gaspar, king of India. They had been guided by a star.

—ooo—

In my family, Epiphany was a very special day. We received gifts from our parents. Moreover, on that day we ate the cake in which a bean had been inserted. The person who ate the piece of cake containing the bean was crowned King or Queen. It was lovely and magical, and we enjoyed the fact that it was always a holiday.

Epiphany was also the twelfth day of Christmas (Twelfth Night is the night before Epiphany). Epiphany therefore ended the festivities linked with the birth of Jesus. On that day, we took the decorations off the tree and wrapped them carefully so they could be used again and again.

However there was a dark side to the event that was carefully separated from the arrival of the Kings. The Kings of Orient were told by an angel that they should travel home a different way. Similarly, Joseph was told in a dream to depart immediately and take Jesus and Mary to Egypt. Herod ordered the massacre of all male infants just born in Bethlehem. This event is known as the Massacre of the Innocents.

_________________________

[i] “Epiphany.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 05 Jan. 2013. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/190101/Epiphany>.

[ii] “Epiphany.”
– the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12)
– the festival commemorating the Epiphany on 6 January
– a moment of sudden and great revelation or realization. <http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/epiphany>

[iii] “Since the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, the difference between Gregorian and Julian calendar dates has increased by three days every four centuries.”
Gregorian Calendar, Wikipedia
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar>

[iv] “Tiffany.” Wikipedia
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiffany_(given_name)>

[v] “Epiphany.”
– the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12)
– the festival commemorating the Epiphany on 6 January
– a moment of sudden and great revelation or realization.
<http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/epiphany>
We Three Kings: Epiphany Montage,
arrangement by Eugene Ormandy (18 November 1899 – 12 March 1985)

The Magi

© Micheline Walker
6 January 2012
WordPress