Why is the play "Twelfth Night" by Shakespeare called that?

Arpeggionist

Twelfth Night is the last night of the Christmas celebrations - January 5th - the date on which the play is set. Feb 07 06, 1:33 PM

superwizzy88

Correction! Twelfth Night is on the sixth, not the fifth. It is also known, in religious circles at least, as Epiphany. Feb 07 06, 1:42 PM

lanfranco

Actually, you're both right. In the western Christian Church, Epiphany, the twelfth day of Christmas, commemorates the visit of the Three Magi and the revelation of Christ's divinity to them. (Eastern churches actually celebrate the birth of Christ on January 6.) Depending on the place, Twelfth Night may be celebrated either on the night of January 5 or the night of the 6th. In not a few countries, gifts have traditionally been given not on December 25 but on Epiphany, so the night before can function rather like Christmas Eve: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_Night_%28holiday%29 Feb 07 06, 2:08 PM

Bard2008

Twelfth Night is not set on Twelfth Night. Viola spends three months in Illyria. She arrives in Act I Scene II, and in Act V Orsino says of her, "Three months this youth hath tended upon me." The answer to this is no one knows why and, in fact, Samuel Pepes saw it performed at the time and wrote in his diary it was, "but a silly play, and not relating at all to the name or day." The full title of the play is "Twelfth Night, or What You Will." Some believe it was first performed on Twelfth Night. May 13 08, 3:38 PM