… as the good bard said. Twelfth Night, and the festive season draws to a close for another year. Hurrah! Normal service can be resumed.
Twelfth night dates back to a time when Christmas marked the start of twelve days of feasting, which culminated in partying and merriment with cake and wassail on the 5th January.
As a nation that needs no excuse for a knees-up, how did we let this custom slide into oblivion? Admittedly, the twelve days of feasting did follow 40 days of fasting, so maybe there are good reasons for doing away with this particular tradition.
And for the trivia fans, here are five little-known facts about the great man’s play.