When it arrives to take down your slim artificial Christmas tree, it feels like all the joy is out of the home. Still, taking your tree down depends on you, as there is no specific day to do it. Many people take their tree down on the 6th of January while other families take it down earlier.
Traditional Dates For Taking The Christmas Tree Down
The date to remove your tree differs from one person to another. First, you have the twelfth night on the 5th of January, a popular time to take down your Christmas tree. Some people even leave it until the 6th of January.
According to many people, the 12th night is the natural end of the festive season. The reason is that the Epiphany, the liturgical season starts on the 6th of January. Hence, the church begins focusing on the appearance of the Magi.
As mentioned, the day of Epiphany is also a great day to take down your Christmas tree. The reason is that some people count the 12th day ending Christmas as the 25th of December while others do it from Boxing Day.
It all comes down to a matter of taste as Epiphany is an ancient Eastern Church feast day as it was about Christ’s birth as much as the Magi. Furthermore, it is a feast of the winter season. In the fourth century, the Romans inherited the day, shifting their focus on Bethlehem and the arrival of the Magi.
It all happened when Julius I named the 25th of December Christmas Day. Hence, many pagan festivals united with Christian ones, and Epiphany in the western tradition remained. So, it became the feast of the Three Kings people celebrated.
Years passed, and it had different names, Three Kings Day, Theophany, and Little Christmas. Thus, it is still not an answer when Epiphany is celebrated. The reason is that the Eastern church did not switch to the Gregorian calendar. Therefore, their Christmas day is on the 6th of January.
While the Orthodox celebrate Christmas Day on the 19th of January.
The Catholics Take The Tree Down on Candlemas
Many people feel leaving the tree with decorations after the 6th of January is bad luck. However, neither should the tree be taken down before Candlemass, known as The Presentation of Christ. The festival celebrates Jesus and Mary at the temple forty days after Jesus’ birth.
Still, in Medieval times the church provided congregants with new candles for the dark nights ahead and for getting blessed. As it was a magical time mixing religion with magic. Church goers believe it is back luck to remove the tree before Candlemass or keep it up later than the 6th of January.
The First Day of New Year
Lastly, you have people that remove their trees on the 31st of December as the New Year starts. They believed that you would take the old years’ troubles with you into the New Year, leaving your tree up. Still, no matter when you decide to take your slim artificial Christmas tree down, it is all superstition and depends on you. Some people leave the tree up year-round to decorate for different holidays.
