Little Christmas

Little Christmas is one of the traditional names among Irish Christians and Amish Christians for 6 January. It is also known more widely as the Feast of the Epiphany. In the Scottish Highlands the term Little Christmas is applied to New Year’s Day, also known as Là Challuinn.

About Little Christmas in brief

Summary Little ChristmasLittle Christmas is one of the traditional names among Irish Christians and Amish Christians for 6 January. It is also known more widely as the Feast of the Epiphany, celebrated after the conclusion of the twelve days of Christmastide. In the Scottish Highlands the term Little Christmas is applied to New Year’s Day, also known as Là Challuinn, or Là na Bliadhna �’ire. In Scandinavia, where the main celebration of Christmas is on Christmas Eve, the evening of 23 December is known as little Christmas Eve. In some parts of the Spanish-speaking world, the emphasis of Christmas Day is on family dinner reunion and church attendance, while gifts are exchanged on Epiphany.

Among some Anabaptists, such as the Amish and Mennonites, celebrate Christmas as a religious feast-day, on 6 January, reflected in the words of Cherry-Tree Carol, an English folk-song that migrated to Appalachia in the 20th century. In 2013, until 2013 was the last day of the Christmas holidays for both primary and secondary schools in Ireland, making Old Christmas Day the traditional end of Christmas season in some denominations. The word ‘Little Christmas’ is also found in other languages including Slovene, Galician, and Ukrainian.