12th Night

[claymore]

An end to all those blasted manic Christmas Decorations
Easter just around the corner and Eggs now in the shops
Avid Readers of my column will no doubt be waiting for my El Nino predictions and how the great British summer is going to pan out - well I've decided to read the leaves of the Christmas Brussels sprouts as I feel this will help give me the accuracy that we need for longer term predictions.
Watch this space.



regards
Claymore

 

[Twister_Ken]

Dear Scrooge (Claymore)

So you won't be celebrating the Orthodox Christmas tonight?

 

[tony_brighton]

Had the good fortune to miss it all - just got back from New Zealand and Hong Kong. Decided to go away for Christmas in future to avoid it all.

 

[Cornishman]

Don't they have Christmas out there? Heathens

 

[Forbsie]

Three years ago I spent Christmas in the jungles of Sarawak. Travelling to various longhouses by longboat, there was no mention of Christmas at all until we arrived at a resort hotel in the middle of the rainforest. There they played xmas carols relentlessly until the 8 guests screamed ENOUGH!

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.seafin.co.uk>Tender to...</A>

 

[claymore]

It was celebrated by scoffing the last of the quality street and wondering about whether Mrs Hornblower is to be the second Virgin Birth - I'm not sure he'd know what to do if he managed to plot the downfall of her Alan Whickers but the bemused look on his face spoke volumes!

regards
Claymore

 

[steve_cronin]

Another \"Great Debate\"

Since you raised the point about "12th" Night.

There was an arguement in the office yesterday which I nearly had to quell with a bucket of cold about when "12th night" actually is.

Is it 5th January taking "1st night" as Christmas day evening or is it 6th January on the assumption that Christmas day is FOLLOWED by it's 12 days?
I once heard a claim that it's actually Jan 4th as you should start counting on Christmas eve!

Steev CRonin

 

[bedouin]

Re: Another \"Great Debate\"

Traditionally the 1st day of Christmas is 26th December and so twelfth night is 6th January (Evening).

Christmas Night, on the other hand, is the night of 24/25th Dec, so 12th night is 14 nights after Christmas Night....

 

[Twister_Ken]

Virgin on the ridiculous

It was probably conceived as part of a demonstration of the workings of pintles and gudgeons, or how to load a 12-pounder, rather than more 'normal' rhythm-stick operations.

 

[claymore]

Re: Virgin on the ridiculous

Someone was suggesting on the Hornblower thread that part of him was shot in the mouth of the something or other - heartening to know it missed his ground tackle

regards
Claymore

 

[steve_cronin]

Tradition? Who\'s?

Where did that come from?

As to your second point, the evening you describe is TRADITIONALLY known in this family as CHRITSMAS EVE and the evening of Christmas day as Christmas Night. Even the BBC follow this convention.

What are you trying to do? Make the workforce of this country even more workshy?

Send em back to work on 27th (like wot I do) This taking a fortnight off is absurd. The Americans just don't believe it happens.

Steve Cronin

 

[bedouin]

Re: Tradition? Who\'s?

That came from something rather like Brewer's. It is pretty certain that "twelfth night" in England is 6th of Jan, although there are differing opinions as to whether the 12th day is 5th or 6th.

As to Christmas night - that is certain. The tradition is that Jesus was born in the early hours of the morning on Christmas Day. Christmas Night, the Night when Christ was born, is therefore the night between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Recall that a number of North European countries actually have the main Christmas meal on Christmas Eve, rather than Christmas Day.

It is only with the commercialising of Xmas that anyone has begun to think that Christmas Night is the night following Christmas day.