What Is Twelfth Night and Why Is Everyone So Excited About It?

With Christmas and New Years behind us, it’s officially time for Carnival season, which kicks off each year on Twelfth Night. Unlike Mardi Gras’ ever-changing date, Twelfth Night always falls on January 6- today! It marks the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas, thus officially ending the holiday season. Time to take down those trees! While many religious sects believe that Twelfth Night falls on January 5, here in New Orleans we celebrate on January 6, the 12th day after Christmas. Those who observe Twelfth Night on January 5 consider Christmas starting at sunset on Christmas Eve.

The Official Start of Carnival Season

Twelfth Night is significant here in New Orleans because it is the official start of the Carnival season, which starts today and concludes at the end of Mardi Gras day (Tuesday, February 28). Leave it to a city like New Orleans to transition directly from the Christmas holidays to Carnival season! Twelfth Night has always been important in New Orleans, being celebrated and observed as far back as colonial times. However, it wasn’t until post-Civil War in 1870 that the Twelfth Night Revelers, a Mardi Gras Krewe, formalized the tradition. Since then it’s been celebrated in various iterations and forms.

Staunch observers of tradition wait until Twelfth Night to have their first piece king cake for the year. Local lore goes that if king cake is eaten before Twelfth Night, it will rain on Mardi Gras day. Many wave this off as nonsense and sell king cakes year-round. However, since New Orleans is a city built on traditions and superstitions alike, the majority of people here still observe the practice of waiting until Twelfth Night for that first delicious bite of king cake.

From all of us here at Astrid Travel, Happy Twelfth Night! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all Carnival season long for Mardi Gras tips for the solo traveler!