Twelfth Night Festival

Month : February
Place : Rome
Famous For : Traditional Festival
Attractions : Wassail, Special Pastries, Cakes.

Twelfth Night is an important festival observed in some branches of Christianity. It marks the arrival of the Epiphany and conclusion of the Twelve Days of Christmas. It's also defined as the the evening of the fifth of January, preceding Twelfth Day. Earlier the eve of the Epiphany was the last day of Christmas festivities and observed as a time of merrymaking. But nowadays, there is currently some confusion as to which night is Twelfth Night. Some people have an idea count the night of Epiphany itself (sixth of January) to be Twelfth Night.

Major Attractions

The festival traces its origin way back in medieval period, where the Twelfth Night marked the end of a winter festival that started on All Hallows Eve now more commonly known as Halloween. Food and drink are the center of the celebrations in modern times, and all of the most traditional ones go back many centuries. The punch called wassail is consumed especially on Twelfth Night, but throughout Christmas time, especially in the UK. Around the world, special pastries, such as the tortell and king cake are baked on Twelfth Night, and eaten the following day for the Feast of the Epiphany celebrations. In English and French custom, the Twelfth-cake was baked to contain a bean and a pea, so that those who received the slices containing them should be designated king and queen of the night's festivities.