Epiphany is January 6, right? Well, maybe. But in many western countries, Epiphany has been celebrated since 1970 on the Sunday after January 1, and in the Catholic calendar it’s the second Sunday after Christmas. Which means that today–Saturday, January 1–is (in at least one definition) Epiphany Eve.
So in addition to saying Happy New Year, “The First Nowell” seems appropriate today.

We associate this carol with Christmas, but if you go through the whole thing you’ll see that it takes us to Epiphany, hence my scheduling it today. 1 That becomes especially clear if we sing (as we will) All! Six! Verses!
Continue reading “Sing Along on the Eighth Day of Christmas”Notes:
- Any connection between this hymn choice and the name of our much-loved daughter Noël is purely intentional. ↩