The Thirteenth Day

Epiphany has arrived!

The last day of the winter holiday season has come. Today is either fast or feast: for those who see today as the first showing-forth of the Divine Child, this is a joyous celebration known as Princess Day; for those who see the days following Nativity as 'a sign of things to come' & a reflection of the coming year, the thirteenth day is a solemn affair.

Using the twelve days following Christmas as a fortune telling method, where what happens on each day indicates how that month in the coming year will play out, is likely as old as the Twelve Days themselves. For Filianis who use a thirteen-month calendar, the thirteenth day after Christmas is also included, to represent Moura (the first day after Nativity corresponds to the first month of the year, which for Filianis would be Culverine, and so on through the year to the final month of Moura). As Moura is a fasting season and a penitential one, the thirteenth day after Nativity can be quite logically observed as a day of quiet reflection and devotion: examples from sources include keeping a fast from dawn to dusk, copying from the Scriptures, and refraining from excitement (the ECE, footnotes on pg 234-5, 5th ed). This practice is made easier with the observance of Duodecima the day before which put away all the decorations!

I've found I usually need the clean break of the thirteenth day to put that final stop to the season for me. Otherwise I find it rather hard to stop certain bad habits that have begun to form, especially the overindulgence of sweets! Unfortunately, Nativity this year turned sour at the last possible moment with unexpected family drama that put most of us on the back foot, and I've been somewhat looking forward to the close of the Filiadies for a little while now just to put it behind us. I've also been using the thirteenth day as something of a resolution making day where I go over what plans I have for the next year.

What do you do today? Is today a festival or a sombre day for you and your household? Do you miss the holiday season now that we have come to the end, or are you ready to move into the year? Whatever you do, I hope your day and your coming year is a blessed one full of happiness!