ACCORDING to the famous Christmas song, there are 12 days of Christmas after the end of the long-awaited holiday.

       The 12th day of Christmas is known as Little Christmas.

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       Little Christmas has many variations, such as Three Kings Day or Epiphany Credit: Getty Images - Getty What is Little Christmas?

       Little Christmas, or the Feast of the Epiphany, is observed following the 12 days of Christmastide.

       In Ireland, the Feast of the Epiphany is known by a distinct name: Little Christmas.

       In Spain and certain other Hispanic nations, the day is known as Three Kings' Day.

       Twelfth Night is the name of the celebration in England.

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       It is the traditional conclusion of the Christmas season, and until 2013, it was the last day of the Christmas vacations in Ireland for both primary and secondary schools.

       What is the historical significance of Little Christmas?

       The Feast of the Epiphany commemorates three key events in Christianity's history: Jesus Christ's birth (the Nativity), when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus transforming water to wine at a wedding in Cana.

       When the Gregorian calendar was adopted in Ireland and the rest of the Western World, Jesus' birthdate became December 25.

       On the Feast of the Epiphany, the Nativity was no longer commemorated.

       Instead, three Magi, sometimes known as the three wise men or the three kings, paid a visit to the newborn Jesus on January 6.

       On this day, three Magi are put in the nativity in some Irish homes to commemorate the completion of their journey.

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       The holiday is observed on January 6 this year Credit: Getty Images - Getty When is Little Christmas 2022?

       This year, Little Christmas is celebrated on January 6 as it is yearly.

       Because of discrepancies in liturgical calendars, churches in the eastern Roman Empire celebrated Christmas on January 6th, while those in the western Roman Empire celebrated it on December 25th, as early as the fourth century.

       Pope Gregory XIII established the Gregorian calendar in October 1582 as a corrective to the Julian calendar, which had too many leap years and was drifting out of sync with the solar year.

       This has liturgical importance since the date of Easter is calculated on the assumption that the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere occurs on March 21.

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