Twelfth Night- is it really bad luck?

Grannynannywanny

I made a start on dismantling mine this afternoon. I’ll lower the tone by showing you one of my Christmas cards in the hope of giving someone a laugh .

Love that card! 😂

My decorations are always down by 6 January (which is my interpretation of 12th Night!)

Well it is Twelfth Night

My mother was ridiculously superstitious, it seemed that everything was bad luck if you didn’t do x, y or z from throwing spilt salt over your left shoulder with your right hand to decorations coming down on 6Jan to saluting magpies.
It’s all balderdash and bullshit as far as I’m concerned and I don’t seem to have any more misfortunes than anyone else!

My decorations are always down by 6 January (which is my interpretation of 12th Night!). I have to set myself a deadline, or they would still be up at Easter! This year I was rather sad to see them go.

But must admit only half of them got up this year. I hate having to start Christmas planning too early, but I’ve realised that now I’m older everything takes a little bit longer - and I can’t work half the night to catch up with baking or wrapping like I used to. So next year Christmas prep will start a bit earlier, and I’ll spread the work out a bit more.

When I was a child we never brought the Christmas tree into the house until Christmas Eve because it was supposed to be unlucky to bring it in earlier. I gave up on that decades ago - and I'm still here.

I kept mine up till July one year because it was a comfort to me,
nothing bad happened , just enjoy them!
Hope you feel better soon! sending love X

Hope you feel better soon. Take them down when your ready.

I hope you get better soon. Many folk keep trimmings up until Candlemas on Febuary 2nd so you've plenty of time left.

Just to add, another name for snowdrops is Candlemas Bells - isn’t that lovely?

I had the idea that it’s a Pagan belief to get them down before 12th night? And it dated back to when people bought greenery in from the woods to decorate. The woodland spirits would then have to stay in your house for the year if you didn’t take them down. So, I think it’s more likely to bring ill luck if you tire yourself out doing them. Took me two days at the weekend, and I was flipping beat by the time I’d done!

Our Cathedral doesn't take its Christmas Tree down until Candlemas on 2nd February. It has stood for 800 years plus - I think you'll be OK . Just get well soon.

Nothing brings bad luck, it just happens. I mean, think about it. How could leaving Christmas decorations up influence what happens in the rest of your year? One year I got a stick on the wall Christmas tree for my bedroom and it’s still up five years later!

It will be ok to leave them up till you get better. Took our Christmas things down on 2nd January, which is about our usual. Hope you feel better.

Be like a European and call them winter decorations and take them down well you feel better, which I hope is really soon.

Don't be ridiculous....Just leave them till you're able orget someone else to do it if it bothers you that much.Mine were down 30th December! 🤣

Of course not. My husband retired before me. I thought he should take them down. They were still up in March 😂

There are some houses in our town that NEVER take them down, not heard of any catastrophic incidents here!

I started taking them down today but putting them away will take most of tomorrow as I don’t notice things like candle or bowls of decorations until late. I like the idea of leaving it up til candlemas but my tree has started dropping.@ beneath the howling stars I hope there is someone who can get your shopping for you.

It is NOT bad luck! It just depends to which tradition you subscribe! In some places decorations stay up until the beginning of February, when the first pagan festival of spring - 'Imbolc' - arrives. Ours will certainly be staying up while it feels dark and wintry, although I have tidied away all the cards.

Technically, the post-Christmas season ends at Candlemas in February . I had a friend who kept everything up until then, tree, lights, tinsel…
Anyway, unless you are very superstitious, don’t give it another thought!

My sparkly white lights stay up all year over the dresser. The only other decs this year were the small tree plus sparkly lights and the cards. The small tree will stay until I feel like removing it, as it looks like a plant with tbe lights switched off, and the cards I have gathered and tbey go back in the shoe box I have covered witb Cbristmas paper.
I really don't think any bad luck coming my way this year would have swerved had I taken everything down by 12th night.

Get better soon OP. Like others have said, I hope you are getting help with shopping and meals.

Grannynannywanny

🤣🤣

Is 12th night when decorations traditionally come down the 5th or the 6th January? I always go with the 6th which is the Feast of Epiphany but some go by the 5th. I think it depends when you start counting.

Grannynannywanny
🫢🤣

I made a start on dismantling mine this afternoon. I’ll lower the tone by showing you one of my Christmas cards in the hope of giving someone a laugh .