Talk:January 5

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January 5: Twelfth Night (Western Christianity)

Charles the Bold

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Please, when you create a new page, don't use the "minor edit" option. Others want to see new pages, no matter how small!  :-) --LMS

Could somebody please check the spelling for "Jeane" Dixon. Does it nothave a double "n"?

[edit] Twelfth Night query

Here is the debate from Twelfth night discussion page

Stupid question I know but is it the 5th or the 6th? In my culture i.e. that of a Nothern Britain (christian/agnostic), its the 6th, but please can we have some confirmation? Medscin 19:19, 1 January 2006 (UTC)

It's the 5th, which is the 12th day counting from Christmas, with Christmas as the first day. The Epiphany has its own Octave, and the day after that Octave begins a new season liturgy-wise (though Christmas as a part of the larger liturgical cycle and as a "spiritual season" doesn't end until Candlemas). This page explains things: http://www.fisheaters.com/customschristmas1.html (and these pages explain Twelfth Night and the Epiphany: http://www.fisheaters.com/epiphanyeve.html and http://www.fisheaters.com/customschristmas8.html ) TigerLille 21:28, 1 January 2006 (UTC)

I maintain (as I have maintained at the Twelve Days of Christmas discussion) that the Twelve Days are Dec 26 - Jan 6 inclusive and that Twelfth Night is January 6 and not the 5th, and should thus be removed from the link on January 5 which currently and confusingly says "The eleventh day of Christmas in Western Christianity, and the Twelfth Night of Christmas in Western Christianity", However, I will not do so as I believe some discussion is required first. As I see it, the solution depends on whether Twelfth Night celebrations were made on January 5th or 6th, and I note that celebrations were held on both Twelfth-Night Eve (Jan 5) and Twelfth Night (Jan 6), but the latter were the main ones. The best sources I know to quote are Sir James Frazer, William Hone and Robert Chambers, all expert 19th-century British folklorists. Frazer says "The last of the mystic twelve days is Epiphany or Twelfth Night", and Epiphany is January 6 -- I know some will say it began on the Eve but that was called Twelfth-Night Eve or Epiphany Eve and had different festivities. Hone says the Twelfth Night celebrations were on the night of January 6 (and the lesser ones on January 5 were called Twelfth-Night Eve) and Chambers also asserts that although there were some apparently minor "rustic" festivals in England on January 5 (Twelfth-Night Eve), the main Twelfth Night festivities were on the next night, ie, the night of Twelfth Day (January 6). I suggest that unless someone betters these sources within a reasonable amount of time, any Wikipedian should make the changes required on the various pages. With respect, TigerLille, I think fisheaters's statement "The Eve of the Feast of the Epiphany is the twelfth day of Christmas" is not correct, based on the three prominent folklorists I refer to above. Alpheus 01:23, 5 January 2006 (UTC) And I maintain that it's not "the 26th through the 6th", it's "the evening of the 25th through and/or including the evening of the 6th". Wahkeenah 01:54, 5 January 2006 (UTC) It's the fifth. D. Wo. 05:25, 5 January 2006 (UTC) What, exactly, is the 5th??? Wahkeenah 05:28, 5 January 2006 (UTC) Not to start a US/UK arguement, I think the American's "celebrate" twelfth night on the 5/1 hence the reasons its stated as this, Wikipedia AFAIK an American based website, while us Brits "celebrate" it on the 6/1, though thats just a guess, the Collins Dictionary states it as being "evening of the 6th Jan.: also of 5th Jan

and PS, I really didn't want to start a huge arguement, sorry! Medscin 17:44, 5 January 2006 (UTC)