picture taken from google:
The 12 Days of Christmas — The midwinter festival of the ancient Egyptians celebrated the birth of Horus – son of Isis (the divine mother-goddess). 


The celebration was 12 days long, reflecting their 12-month calendar. This concept took firm root in many other cultures. 


In 567 AD, Christians adopted it. Church leaders proclaimed the 12 days from December 25 to Epiphany as a sacred, festive season.

They then moved the actual birthday of Jesus from it’s original date to the 25th of December via the council of Nicaea.

In many cultures, customs practiced at Christmas go back to pre-Christian times. Many involve divination — foretelling the future at a magic time — the season turning of solstice.

Four thousand years ago or so, ancient Egyptians celebrated the rebirth of the sun at this time of year. 


They set the length of the festival at 12 days, to reflect the 12 divisions in their sun calendar. They decorated with greenery, using palms with 12 shoots as a symbol of the completed year, since a palm was thought to put forth a shoot each month.

To the Romans this became a celebration of saturnalia, orgy practice and a time of participating in wild immoral behaviors.