The way [The Twelfth
Night mock-king] was chosen might vary, but it was always a matter of
chance and good fortune: lots could be drawn or, in the most widespread
convention, a cake would be divided. The person who found a bean, or a
coin, in his piece was the lucky king for the night. Sometimes he picked
his own queen, sometimes chance chose her for him, and a pea secreted in
the cake conferred the honor on its finder. The temporary change in
status was sustained with ceremony; the king was given a crown, the
authority to call the toasts and lead the drinking and, sometimes, the
more dubious privilege of paying the bill on the morning after.
Cake and King were
thus linked together as good-luck charms for the coming year. The cake,
the bean and the pea were emblems of fertility and harvest, health and
prosperity ... His [the King's] brief reign spanned the turn from one
year to the next, and in his topsy-turvy kingdom conventions were
triumphantly defied. Inhibitions were forgotten, characters changed,
everyday restraints relaxed. The harsh certainties of life were softened
in a haze of alcohol and high spirits. Henisch, Bridget Ann, Cakes
and Characters: An English Christmas Tradition
Another witching time is the period of twelve days between
Christmas and Epiphany. Hence in some parts of Silesia the people burn pine-resin all night long between Christmas and the New Year in order that the pungent smoke may drive witches and evil spirits far away from house and homestead; and on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve they fire shots over fields and meadows, into shrubs and trees, and wrap straw round the fruit-trees, to prevent the spirits from doing them harm. On New Year's Eve, which is Saint Sylvester's Day, Bohemian lads, armed with guns, form themselves into circles and fire thrice into the air. This is called
"Shooting the Witches" and is supposed to frighten the witches away. The last of the mystic twelve days is Epiphany or Twelfth Night, and it has been selected as a proper season for the expulsion of the powers of evil in various parts of Europe. Thus at Brunnen, on the Lake of Lucerne, boys go about in procession on Twelfth Night carrying torches and making a great noise with horns, bells, whips, and so forth to frighten away two female spirits of the wood, Strudeli and Strätteli. The people think that if they do not make enough noise, there will be little fruit that year. Again, in Labruguière, a canton of Southern France, on the eve of Twelfth Day the people run through the streets, jangling bells, clattering kettles, and doing everything to make a discordant noise. Then by the light of torches and blazing faggots they set up a prodigious hue and cry, an ear-splitting uproar, hoping thereby to chase all the wandering ghosts and devils from the
town. Frazer, Sir
James George(1854–1941),The
Golden Bough, 1922
Roman roots The Roman Saturnalia, a wild festival seen as licentious to the early Christian authorities, left its mark on the Twelfth Night revels so popular in Britain and Europe in later centuries.
Shakespeare's
Twelfth Night
Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night was written in 1600 for the popular celebrations that used to take place in Britain on January 5, the Twelfth Night revels.
The Bean King
In olden times, a bean (or a pea or a penny) was baked into the Twelfth Cake eaten on Twelfth Day, January 6. As the ancient Romans used to do at the festival of Saturn at this time of year, people elected a
'king' for the day. The British had their 'king' when someone found the bean in his slice of cake.
Druidic customs
Old British customs for Twelfth Night abound, with scholars telling us some are Roman and some probably Druidic. A
'king' was elected for the evening, and went through the house chalking crosses on the rafters against devils. After this, the master and mistress of the house went about the home with a pan of incense, a candle and a loaf to prevent witchcraft.
A mock royal court
At Twelfth Night parties all across Europe, a mock king
and queen used to be elected, as well as all the members of the royal
court, all of whom held their roles throughout the evening for a night of
hilarity. The custom was also observed at universities. Twelfth Night
cards were sold, with all the characters of the court on them.
Sir
James
George Frazer(1854 - 1941),
inThe
Golden Bough, 1922)
tells us that "it was the universal practice in ancient Italy,
wherever the worship of Saturn prevailed, to choose a man who played the part
and enjoyed all the traditionary privileges of Saturn for a season, and then
died, whether by his own or another's hand, whether by knife or fire or on the
gallows-tree, in the character of the good god who gave his life for the
world." (We have noted on several pages in the Book of Days, commencing with
the Solstice of December
22, that the sacrificial human was often the king or tribal chief, and
that these sacrifices often took place at the cross-quarters of the year, such
as Lammas or Solstice.
We have also noted such customs, in which the usual station of people was
turned upside down, as the election of 'boy bishops' on St Nicholas's Day, December 6.)
Over time, and throughout Europe, this practice of proxy
sacrificial atonement or supplication gave way to the reign of a mock king
(also known as the Lord of Misrule) whose responsibilities did not expose him
to such hazards. The way in which he was selected related to the mythology
surrounding the god Saturn, whose reign was believed to be so just that there
were no slaves nor private property. Thus it was decreed during Saturnalia (which was
also at around Winter Solstice time) that all men should be given equal
rights, and indeed, even a slave could rule. Thus the tradition began. Today,
Twelfth Night traditions have died out in most parts of the Christian world,
but are still strong in New Orleans,
USA.
On Twelfth Night, English people held parties and ate the Twelfth
Cake. Inside were baked a bean and a pea; he who found the bean was king for the day, and she who found the pea was queen. It might be that this came from the Roman festival of the
Saturnalia, at the end of which children drew lots with beans to see who would be
'king'.
Both French and English revellers on Epiphany enjoyed special cake on the occasion. The English version, called a Twelfth Cake, was taller and fluffier than the French kind, and elaborately decorated with frosting. Lucky charms, to be found by diners, were baked inside, such as a ring to foretell marriage, a button for a single life and coins for wealth.
In seventeenth-century England, the Epiphany Cake was made with honey, ginger, pepper and flour. When it was cut up, slices for Christ, the Virgin Mary and the Magi were given to the poor. Whoever found a coin baked into the cake was made
"king" and hoisted to the ceiling, where he chalked crosses on the rafters.
When any member of a family in old England was absent from the Twelfth Night revels, a piece of Twelfth Cake was kept for them. If the absent one was in good health, the cake would remain fresh, but if ill, the cake would perish. Or, so it was said.
Danish charm
To know her fate, a Danish maid in olden days went to bed walking backwards, said aloud a verse to the
Three Wise Men to show her the man
she would marry:
Whose table I must set,
Whose bed I must spread,
Whose name I must bear,
Whose bride I must be.
The future husband would appear in her sleep. She would not try to change her fate and would marry whatever man appeared.
Le Roi boit!
When a French person finds the bean that was baked into a Twelfth Night cake (the
Galette des Rois), and is thus made king, he toasts the party who
all reply "Le Roi boit!", or "the King drinks!" The French have an expression,
"He has found the bean in the cake", which means that a person has extremely good luck.
A noble Epiphany January 6 was for a long time observed in England with tournaments, jousts and entertainments. The English nobility used to blow up cardboard castles on Epiphany, bombarding them from a cardboard ship with cannon. Then would follow a fight with egg-shells filled with rosewater and large frog pies. Twelfth Night, or Epiphany, came to be a Court festival, celebrated mainly with gambling.
Tri
Kralu, Czech / Slovak
Almaniac Anja writes: "At Tri Kralu (Day of the Three Kings) the Sun takes a chicken step. Traditional Czech proverb."
Pastries for Twelfth Night In olde London, every pastrycook today had fancy window dressing and lighting and a selection of pastry wonders: decorated kings, cottages, cats, churches, knights and serpents. Young boys were fond of hanging around pastry shops and nailing the coat tails of spectators to the window frames.
Noble for a night At English Twelfth Night parties, guests chose their characters from slips of paper. A child might become
Sir Gregory Goose or Sir Tunbelly Clumsy for the night.
Northern English traditions
In Cumberland and other northern places in England, country people used to meet on January 6, Twelfth Night, to eat
lobscouse (a dish of fried beef, potatoes and onions) and drink ponsodie (ale boiled with sugar, apples and nutmeg). The feast was paid for by subscription, with women collecting the fees in wooden bowls.
La Befana
"La Befana is a personification of the
'spirit of the Epiphany' and can almost be considered a nickname for 'Epifania,' the proper Italian word for epiphany. While the Western Christian Church celebrates December 25th, the Eastern Christian Church to this day recognizes January 6 as the celebration of the nativity. January 6 was also kept as the physical birthday in Bethlehem.
"Tradition depicts La Befana as a kindly old lady with a stereotypical nose with a big red mole on top of it and a pointy chin. Wearing an old coat mended carefully with colorful patches and tattered shoes, she flies around on a broom and carries her black bag filled with sweets and presents for the children. Entering the houses through the chimney she places her gifts inside the children's stockings hung with care, the night before. The
buoni ragazzi (good kids) are very happy to find their stocking filled with presents. They have been busy writing letters to La Befana,
la buona strega (good witch). But for the children who have not been good, there will not be presents, but a lump of coal!
"The origin of the tradition is
veiled in mystery and in all likelihood this poetic figure goes back to
country legends of pre-Christian times."
In old Devonshire, UK, cake and cider were taken to the orchards tonight. Selecting the oldest apple tree, the men formed a circle and chanted. They toasted the tree three times:
Here's to thee, old apple-tree.
Whence thou mayst bud, and whence thou mayst blow!
And whence thou mayst bear apples enow!
Hats full! Caps full!
Bushel – bushel – sacks full,
And my pockets full too! Huzza!
The cake was placed in the fruit tree boughs and the hot cider was used to drench the trees to ensure a fruitful harvest. Men would drink cider, make merry, and fire a salute (their guns charged only with powder) at the tree, while at home women sang Twelfth Night songs.
The men and boys soon returned to the home and were denied entrance by the womenfolk inside, who had bolted the doors, and who demanded to be told the name of the roast that was cooking on the spit. When one of the men guessed it, all the males were given entrance to the home. The one who guessed the roast was named
'King for the Evening' and was lord over the party until the wee hours of the morning. As the monarch, he also got to eat the best cuts of the meat.
If they neglected these customs, the trees would bear no apples that year. Or, so it is said.
What a yawn! An old English Twelfth Night custom was the Gambol, which included a grinning match, a whistling competition and a yawning match in which the widest yawner at midnight won a
Cheshire cheese.
Isle of Man On the Isle of Man, at Twelfth Night parties, the fiddler would lay his head on the lap of one girl after another, and another person
would ask who each maid would marry. The fiddler's answer would be taken as an oracle. If he chose as a couple two people who did not like each other, tears would follow. This was called
'cutting off the fiddler's head'.
Twenty days of Christmas Christmas used to last for at least twenty days in
Leeds, England. On Twelfth Night, families drank from a wassail (health) bowl after eating mince pies, and wished each other a merry Christmas. The night was called Wassail Eve.
Baddeley Cake,
Drury Lane Theatre, London
On Twelfth Night the cast of the whichever play is running in this famous theatre eat cake and drink wine in memory of an 18th-Century actor who bequeathed money to the theatre's hardship fund.
The Lions Part, Borough Market, Bankside outside Globe Theatre, London
This new year celebration blends ancient seasonal customs with contemporary festivity. Seasonal dramas are performed outside the Globe (a re-creation of Shakespeare's famous playhouse), followed by a procession through the streets to Borough Market for mulled ale, fine food, storytelling and dancing.
Haxey Hood Game, Isle of Axholme,
Lincolnshire,
England
In the 13th Century when a gust of wind whipped off the hood of the Lady de Mowbray, farm labourers chased and retrieved the headpiece. This so delighted her that she ordered the pursuit be repeated. Now, each Twelfth Day, regulars of the village's pubs join the
'sway' to take the hood back to their local tavern.
Kalanda, Cyprus Twelfth Night is called Kalanda in Cyprus, when Kallikantzaroi(Kalikandjari;
Callicandjari) demons leave the planet, having arrived at
Christmas to torment people. These souls of unbaptized babies ride chickens, steal infants, urinate in groceries and hover around lakes and crossroads. Imitating the voices of loved ones, they trick their way into people's homes. They are evil demons who steal infants. Tonight housewives customarily knead pastry dough in total silence, frying it up and flinging it on the roof for the kalikandjari, while they sang
Little piece, piece of sausage,
Knife with a black handle,
Piece of pancake,
Eat and let us go.
Last
of the Twelve Days in Greece
Greek tradition
also
tells of the Kallikantzaroi,
or Callicandjari, the goblins who
appear during the twelve days of Christmas.
These dangerous, mostly male sprites prey upon people only at this time.
Descriptions of the Kallikantzaroi vary: in one area they are said to wear
wooden or iron boots with which they kick people, while other areas believe
that they aren't shod but hooved. Other regions see in them the shape of
wolves or even monkeys. Some local festivals still include representations of
the Kallikantzaroi, who may be derived from characters in the Dionysian
festivals.
These imps are very mischievous. A woman once
carelessly spoke out loud her intention to knead dough -
a Kallikantzaros heard her, and jumped onto her wooden bread-trough as she was
carrying it to the village bakery; he made her dance about the town all night,
until the rooster's crowing freed her. In another legend, a young girl is
forced to walk alone to a mill throughout the twelve days, because her
stepmother is hoping that the Kallikantzaroi will steal her away.
Some households keep fires burning throughout the
period, in order to keep the spirits from entering the house by the chimney
– shades of Santa Claus, but in reverse. The 'yule log' in this
case used to be a large log set on end in the chimney, kept alight for the
duration. It was customary to suspend by the fireplace, protective herbs such
as hyssop, thistle, and asparagus, to keep the Kallikantzaroi at bay. Some
households will mark their front door with a black cross on Christmas Eve,
burn incense and invoke of the Trinity. Strong-smelling things may be burned
to ward off the gremlins. Other households, perhaps less devout, used bribery
and would put meat out (such as pork bones, sweetmeats, or sausages in the
chimney) for the Kallikantzaroi.
It is believed that at Epiphany, the ceremonial
blessing of the waters by the local priest will settle the nasty creatures
until the next year. The Kallikantzaroi are then said to cry:
Quick, begone! we must begone,
Here comes the pot-bellied priest,
With his censer in his hand
And his sprinkling-vessel too;
He has purified the streams
And he has polluted us.
It is possible for living humans to become Kallikantzaroi.
Children born at Christmas are thought likely to become such sprites as a
punishment for their mothers' sin in bearing them at a time sacred to the
Mother of God, while in Macedonia it is people who have a "light"
guardian angel who undergo this evil transformation.
"Epiphany is also called the Phota or Fota, in reference to the day being a Feast of Light, and it is also the saint's day for Agia Theofana.
"While the biggest observance is at Piraeus, many islands and villages offer smaller versions of the event. It is definitely still a traditional holiday, performed by Greeks for themselves, not for tourists." Source: Epiphany
in Greece
Fine gifts
On this day in olden times, the monarchs of
England and
Spain would, like the Three Wise Men, offer at the altar gifts of
gold,
frankincense, and myrrh.
A medieval pageant
In Milan,
Italy, in
1336, according to medieval chroniclers, Epiphany was celebrated by a civic pageant in which the Magi (Three Wise Men) appeared on horseback, a golden star was exhibited in the sky, and King
Herod was portrayed by an actor.
Decorations come down
In much of Britain and the USA, and among most Australians, Epiphany is the
traditional day on which
Christmas trees and decorations must come
down. However, some old traditions say they stay up until
Candlemas Eve,
February 1. An old custom has it that evergreen decorations should be ceremonially burnt.
In medieval Europe, it was widely believed that the skulls of Caspar, Balthasar and Melchior, the
Three Wise Men who visited
Jesus on this day, Epiphany, had magic powers. Anything that had touched one of the skulls would protect the bearer while travelling.
NB: The Christian Church moved the Magi's feast
day to July 23
(qv), which happens also to be a day in antiquity for the Rising of the
Nile, and the bright star, Sirius. More on Sirius,
and more.
The
Golden Legend describes the gifts of the Magi thus:
...by these three be signified three things that be in
Jesu Christ: The
precious Deity, the soul full of holiness, and the entire Flesh all pure
and without corruption. And these three things be signified that were in
the ark of Moses. The rod which flourished, that was the Flesh of Jesu
Christ that rose from death to life; the tables wherein the commandments
were written, that is the soul, wherein be all the treasures of sapience
and science of Godhead. The manna signifieth the Godhead, which hath all
sweetness of suavity. By the gold which is most precious of all metals is
understood the Deity; by the incense the soul right devout, for the
incense signifieth devotion and orison; by the myrrh which preserveth from
corruption, is understood the Flesh which was without corruption. Aurea
Legenda
(The
Golden Legend or Lives of the Saints.
Compiled by Jacobus
de Voragine (c. 1230 - 1298), Archbishop of Genoa, 1275. First
edition published 1470. Englished by William
Caxton (c. 1422 - c. 1491), first edition 1483).
In the Middle Ages, the names of the Three Wise Men, who were commemorated on the day of Epiphany, were used as magic charms, even inscribed in garters, girdles and rings, a practice held to be especially useful in the treatment of cramp.
Revolutionary custom
The French Fête du Rois, their term for what the English-speaking world calls Epiphany, had many customs in common with the British version. In 1792, however, the revolutionary government banned the tradition, ordering it to be renamed La Fête des Sans-Culottes.
The hobby horse
At Paget's Bromley, a town in Staffordshire, England, an old custom today was for a man with a hobby horse, attended by half a dozen men wearing mock deer's heads, to dance a dance called
The Hays and other country dances, and follow up with a huge pot of ale and cakes. No doubt this custom harks back to ancient shamanism rites with hunters dressed as their prey.
Feast of the Star
A medieval drama, called the Feast of the Star, was performed in Britain on January 6. Three priests dressed as the Three Wise Men paraded to the church where a crown and cross-shaped star were displayed. They would then adore a child who was behind a curtain, offer gifts, then fall asleep. An angel would then say
"All things which the prophet said are fulfilled".
The Queen's gifts
Gold, frankincense and myrrh are offered on the Queen's behalf today at Communion at St James's Palace's Chapel Royal.
Swiss Epiphany
In Switzerland, traditional singers dressed as the Three Wise Men sang carols in the streets on Epiphany.
Last candles
It is traditional in Denmark for the candles on the
Christmas tree to be lit for the last time on Twelfth Day.
Rosca de los reyes
In Mexico, a crown-shaped cake called rosca de los reyes, commemorating the
Magi (Three Wise men), is eaten at Epiphany. In it is hidden a tiny china baby, the finder of which must give a party on Candlemas,
February 2.
Dreikönigstag
The Germans celebrate Dreikönigstag (Three Kings Day) today, and some people will wait until today to put the Magi into their Nativity scene. In
Cologne, the largest bell in the land, the
Kaiserglocke (Emperor's Bell) sounds for the Mass.
Starsingers
In Catholic regions of Germany, so-called Sternsinger (Starsingers), male carol singers, go through the streets carrying a star on a pole, and singing
The three holy kings with their star
Like eating, drinking, but don't like paying.
These days they often collect for charity.
Procession of Light
Such is the name of a custom on January 6 in
Pottenstein,
Germany. Logs are carried up the mountains before the event and bonfires are lit. From the mountain side, people make a beautiful torch-lit procession down to the town.
Divine water
In keeping with the aquatic theme of Epiphany, which commemorates the baptism of
Jesus Christ, in Germany
water diviners cut their
wands today. The Three Wise Men get a look in too: a stick is dedicated to Caspar to find gold, Balthasar for silver and Melchior for water.
Who were the Magi?
The Wise Men of the East who brought gifts to the baby
Jesus are known as
the Magi (Latin for wise men). Tradition calls them Melchior, Caspar or
Gaspar, and Balthasar. Syrian
Christians call them Larvandad, Hormisdas, and Gushnasaph. None
of these names is obviously Persian nor carries any ascertainable meaning.
They offered gold (emblem of royalty), frankincense (divinity) and
myrrh (woe and death). The latter, a herb used in mummification and
embalming, symbolised the persecution
Jesus would receive, that would even
take him to death.
The Gospel of Matthew, chapter II, where they
appear, does not in fact number the Three
Wise Men of Christmascarols and crèches, but from the three gifts given, popular culture
usually has three Magi appearing at the scene.
Alias the Magi
We know them as Melchior, Caspar and Balthasar, but the Three Wise Men have had other names, including Apellius, Amerus and Damascus; Megalath, Galgalath and Sarasin; and Ator, Sator and Peratoras.
Melchior means the king of light, Caspar means the white one, and Balthasar means
the lord of treasures.
Kings of Cologne
Medieval legend called the Three Wise Men the Three Kings of Cologne, and the cathedral in that great city of Germany claimed their bones as its own relics. They are commemorated on January 2, 3 and 4, and particularly today, the Feast of the Epiphany.
Dreikönigskuchen, or Three
Kings Cake
Ingredients:
2 cups + 3 tablespoons flour
1.4 oz fresh yeast
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon lukewarm milk
7 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 container of citron
1/2 teaspoon Cardamom
2 eggs, 1 separated
generous 1/2 cup raisins, soaked in rum
1cup chopped mixed, dried fruit
Frosting Ingredients:
powdered sugar
lemon juice
red candied cherries, cut in half
Directions:
Put 3/4 of the flour into a bowl, make a hole in
the middle, crumble yeast into it and mix the yeast with a pinch of sugar
and some of the lukewarm milk. Dust the mixture with flour, cover and let
rise in a warm place for 15 minutes.
Add the melted butter, salt, citrons, Cardamom,
egg, egg white, remaining milk and flour to the flour and yeast mixture.
Knead dough till smooth. When the dough begins to form a ball, stir in
raisins and mixed, dried fruit. Form dough into a log. Cut off 1/4 of the
log, divide the 1/4 into 4 equal parts and form balls from each. Divide the
remaining log into 4 parts and form balls from each.
Grease well a springform pan with a central tube.
Place dough in pan, alternating large and small dough balls. Cover the pan
and let rise in a warm place. Brush the dough with the beaten yolk and place
in pre-heated oven (350° F) for approximately 30 minutes. Cool cake
thoroughly before removing from pan.
Mix the powdered sugar with lemon juice to an icing
consistency (not too runny). Ice the cake and decorate with the candied
cherries. In Germany, a small gold crown made with foil is placed in the
middle of the cake.
The
Magi The Magi in ancient Medean and Persian cultures were members of a priestly caste supposed to have supernatural powers. Ammianus Marcellinus says the Persian magi obtained their occult knowledge from India's Brahmin caste.
Magi relics The Roman Empress Helena, it is said, brought back from Israel the relics of the Magi to Constantinople, from whence they were transferred to Milan. In 1164, Emperor Frederick presented them to the cathedral of Cologne, where they are today.
Magi magic It is said that one John Aprilius prayed to the Magi when he was about to be executed. He was hanged for three days, cut down and miraculously found to be alive. To show his gratitude, he went to Cologne (where the Magi's relics are housed) half naked, with a halter around his neck.
Magi transport The Magi, or Three Wise Men, are generally shown on
Christmas cards to be travelling on camels. It is more likely that these astrologer-priests of the Babylonian Zoroastrian religion, as they probably were, would have ridden on horseback as befitting their caste.
The Three Wise Men Melchior (who brought gold to
Jesus), according to tradition, was old and grey bearded; Caspar (frankincense) was young and beardless, and Balthasar (myrrh) was dark.
What is frankincense? Coming from a French word meaning pure incense, frankincense is mainly obtained from the milk-like sap of Boswelli carteri, a spiky shrub found in the dry highlands of Somalia and Arabia.
What is myrrh? This gift from Balthasar comes from a red resin found in various plants of the Commiphora family. These are short, thorny trees found in Ethiopia, Arabia, Kenya, and Somalia. Exuding from damaged bark, myrrh is collected by nomads. Once it was used by
Egyptian embalmers on mummies, hence its symbolic association with
Christ's death. Today it is used in cough medicines.
Epiphany Tiffany Tiffany is a thin, silky gauze whose name comes from
theophany (Greek for manifestation of God) and was once worn especially on Epiphany, January 6.
It was the name traditionally given to the mother of the
Magi.
Three-fold deities Today, being the day of the Three Wise Men, is connected with the pre-Christian Celtic Threefold deities (Maiden/Mother/Crone). There are also echoes of the Three Fates (Lachesis, Clotho and Atropos), the Morrigan (Ana, Badb and Macha), and the Three Mothers of Hindu faith (Sarasvati, Lakshmi and Parvati).
Neo-pagan: Shooting fire arrows
"For
every day following His birth at the Solstice, the young Sun ages a year, so
by Twelfth Night he is old enough, by Celtic tradition, to be 'armed' by his
mother, in a ceremony following which he is sent out into the world to
'adventure mightily'. Fire arrows are fired …"Source
Two stations "From a late fourth-century document known as the 'Peregrinatio
Silviae,' the narrative of a pilgrimage to the holy places of the
east by a great lady from southern Gaul, it appears that at the
feast of the Epiphany—when the Birth of Christ was commemorated in
the Palestinian Church – two successive 'stations' were held, one at
Bethlehem, the other at Jerusalem. At Bethlehem the station was held
at night on the eve of the feast, then a procession was made to the
church of the Anastasis or Resurrection – where was the Holy
Sepulchre – 'about the hour when one man begins to recognise
another, i.e., near daylight, but before the day has fully broken.'
There a psalm was sung, prayers were said, and the catechumens and
faithful were blessed by the bishop. Later, Mass was celebrated at
the Great Church at Golgotha, and the procession returned to the
Anastasis, where another Mass was said." Clement A Miles, Christmas in Ritual and Tradition, Christian and Pagan, T
Fisher Unwin, London, 1912
Online
