Celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas – One Day at a Time

On the 5th Day of Christmas…

“But Jiminy Crickets, it is the 28th of December! Is it not too late for the 12 Days of Christmas?” you say.

Not to fear, Chanticleerians! The 12 Days of Christmas begins on December 26th! And it continues to the 6th of January – Three Kings Day. The four weeks leading up to Christmas is known as the Advent.

So if you haven’t finished wrapping presents, sending out those cards, and baking cookies—don’t worry—you’ve got an extra seven days!

Happy Holidays to You from the Chanticleer Team! 

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Five Golden Rings

Four Calling Birds

Three French Hens (Chanticleer’s favorite #justsaying)

Two Turtle Doves

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree 

Not one ring to bind them in this case.

Of course, there is another age-old interpretation of the Five Golden Rings is that they refer to five ring-necked birds such as Ring-necked Pheasants or the European Goldfinches in keeping with the bird theme of the song. 

This Christmas Day in History

December 30th, the 5th day of Christmas, is usually a day of rest, recovery, and readying for New Years Eve. In the traditions of the 12 Days of Christmas however, December 30th is known as the Feast of Saint Egwin of Worcester, a feast in memorial of a sixth-century bishop called the protector of widows and orphans. Legend has it he was charged with being too severe with the priests in his diocese and underwent a repentant pilgrimage to Rome. During his penitence, he shackled his feet together and threw the key into the River Avon. Miraculously, the key was then found in the belly of a fish bought at a local market. Depictions of St. Egwin show him holding a key and a fish referencing this miracle.

Once this miracle redeemed him, St. Egwin returned to Worcester and fell enamored with a wooded land near the River Avon (later to be know as Evesham). He was granted the land and eventually founded the Monastery of Evesham after he and a local herdsman were sent a vision of the Mother of God reading peacefully on the site. Evesham, meaning Eof’s home, was thus named after the herdsman gifted this religious vision, the town in Worcestershire bears that name to this day.

St. Egwin became the first Abbot of Evesham and continued his service as the Bishop of Worcester. Eventually he was struck by a long, serious illness and passed on December 30th, 717. His relics remained in a richly decorated shrine along with those of two other saints: St. Credan and St. Odulf.

Unfortunately, the monastery at Evesham was dissolved and destroyed in the 1530s during the Reformation. Almost nothing remains of the once huge buildings and the relics have long since disappeared. However, the ruins of the Evesham Abbey and the former Abbey bell-town still remain.

The quaint town is known for having tranquil vibes, religious history, and agricultural ties. Other churches have been erected near the remains of the Abbey. Evesham attracts multitudes of annual visitors to this day.

On the Fifth Day of Christmas, Chanticleer brings to me…

Five First Place Blue Ribbons!

Every year Chanticleer International Book Awards become more and more competitive! Generally, we only offer 5 of our coveted First Place Blue Ribbons per CIBA division, with one person going on to win the Overall Grand Prize. Then the  Division Grand Prize winners compete for the CIBA Overall Grand Prize Winner. You can see the latest updates on our Book Awards here.

The CIBAs are truly a labor of love, and it’s always such a pleasure to celebrate the incredible talent of our authors!

There are 25 Book Award Divisions offered at Chanticleer, with genre divisions for Fiction and Non-Fiction as well as Series Awards and Shorts Awards. While the 2023 CIBA submissions are closed, we are accepting submissions into the 2024 CIBAs. Don’t Delay. Submit today!

They’re so pretty! And they attract readers at events!

Stay tuned for the 6th Day of Christmas!

And just for fun: 

We now have: 

• Five Partridges and Five Pear Trees
• Eight  Turtle Doves
• Twelve French Hens
• Eight Calling Birds
• Five Golden Rings  

Our favorite part about having the 12 Days of Christmas is that we can have the time we need to celebrate with our loved ones. We have time for wrapping presents, meeting with friends for hot cocoa, and continuing to prepare the Chanticleer Authors Conference and the 2023 CIBA Banquet and Ceremony.

Wishing you Happy Holidays from Chanticleer from Kiffer, Sharon, David, Dena, Vilina, Scott, Anya, and Argus!