Twelfth Night is a festival marking the coming of the Epiphany, the day when the nativity story recounts the three wise men visiting the infant Jesus. Different traditions mark the date of Twelfth Night on either 5th January or 6th January, but its name is derived from the twelve days of Christmas (or Christmastide): If Christmas Day is the first of the twelve days, then Twelfth Night would be on January 5, the eve of Epiphany. If December 26, the day after Christmas, is the first day, then Twelfth Night falls on January 6, the evening of Epiphany itself.

Whereas western Christians celebrate Epiphany as the visit of the Magi, Eastern/Orthodox Christians celebrate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan river.

Unitarian Universalist Perspectives

• UU World Articles on Twelfth Night