Did you enjoy all the goodies and gifts of Christmas? Most of you may have had a grand time with the many festivities and may even be feeling a bit down about another Christmas coming to an end. But, according to ancient tradition, Christmas wasn't over until January 6, which was known as Epiphany.

This period from Christmas day to January 5 (the day before Epiphany) is known as the Twelve Days of Christmas. However, it has been misunderstood by most people to mean the twelve days leading to Christmas. In some traditions, the first day of Christmas begins on the evening of December 25 with the following day considered the First Day of Christmas (December 26). In these traditions, the twelve days include the Epiphany on January 6.

The origin and counting of the Twelve Days is complicated, and is related to differences in calendars, church traditions, and the different ways of observing this day in various cultures.

In the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches (Western church), Epiphany is usually celebrated as the time the Wise Men or Magi arrived to present gifts to the young Jesus.

During Epiphany in Western churches, Biblical texts that describe the various appearances of Jesus are read in church. In Eastern churches, the event celebrates the baptism of Jesus. There, the major observance is the blessing of baptismal water.

In some cultures, especially the Hispanic and Latin American, January 6 is observed as Three Kings Day, or the Day of the Kings. Most of these cultures consider January 6 as the day for giving gifts though they celebrate Christmas on December 25. In some places, it is not unusual to give Christmas gifts for each of the Twelve Days.

By the 16th century, some European and Scandinavian cultures had combined these days with some olden day festivals celebrating the changing of the year. These were usually associated with driving away evil spirits for the start of the new year.

The Twelfth Night often included feasting along with the removal of Christmas decorations.

The popular song 'The Twelve Days of Christmas', though usually considered as a nonsense song for children, is believed by some to be a song of Christian instruction dating to the 16th century religious wars in England, with hidden references to the basic teachings of the Faith.