Honestly, most of us get the timing totally wrong. You’ve probably seen the "12 Days of Christmas" displays in retail stores starting in mid-November, which makes the whole concept feel like a countdown to the big day. But in the actual liturgical and historical tradition, the party doesn't even start until the 25th of December. The 9th day of Christmas falls on January 2nd. It’s that weird, liminal space where the New Year’s champagne has gone flat, you’re considering taking down the tree, and the reality of going back to work is starting to sink in.
But historically? This was peak celebration time.
We’re talking about a period that stretches from the Nativity to the Epiphany on January 6th. While modern culture treats January 2nd as the "back to reality" day, the traditional calendar views it as a vital chunk of the Yuletide season. In the famous carol, this is the day of the "Nine Ladies Dancing." On the surface, it’s just a catchy lyric to help you remember a sequence of increasingly expensive gifts. If you dig into the folklore and the religious history, though, there’s a lot of weird, cool, and occasionally controversial stuff happening.
What actually happens on the 9th day of Christmas?
Religion and folklore collide here. In the Western Christian tradition, January 2nd is the Feast of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen. These guys were heavy hitters in the early church, specifically in what is now Turkey. Basil is basically the Greek version of Santa Claus. Seriously. In Greece, children don’t get their gifts on the 25th; they wait until St. Basil’s Day. They bake a special bread called Vasilopita with a coin hidden inside. If you get the slice with the coin, you’re supposed to have good luck all year.
It’s funny how we’ve flattened these traditions into a simple song.
The song itself—the one with the partridges and the gold rings—first showed up in a 1780 children's book called Mirth Without Mischief. It was a memory game. You’d sit in a circle, and if you messed up the lyrics, you had to pay a forfeit, usually a kiss or a piece of candy. The "Nine Ladies Dancing" might sound like a random choice, but some historians, like the late William J. Federer, suggest these lyrics were coded messages used by persecuted Catholics in England. In that specific theory, the nine ladies represent the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit mentioned in Galatians: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Is that theory 100% proven? Not really. Many secular historians think the song is just a nonsense poem about extravagant gifts. But it’s a fascinating look at how people find deeper meaning in simple rhymes.
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The literal cost of nine ladies dancing
Every year, PNC Wealth Management does this "Christmas Price Index" where they calculate the actual cost of buying everything in the song. It’s a bit of a gag, but it actually tracks inflation pretty well. For the 9th day of Christmas, they have to calculate the cost of hiring nine professional dancers.
They usually use the base rate for a dance company like the Philadelphia Ballet.
In recent years, the cost has hovered around $7,500 to $10,000 for a single performance. That’s a lot of money for a one-day gig. If you were actually the "True Love" in this scenario, by the time you hit day nine, you’ve already bought dozens of birds and hired a small army of pipers and drummers. The logistical nightmare of housing nine professional dancers in a standard suburban home is something the song conveniently ignores.
Where do they sleep? Who's catering?
The January 2nd vibe shift
There is a specific psychological phenomenon that happens on the 9th day of Christmas. It’s the "Post-Holiday Slump." Most of us are dehydrated. We’ve eaten too many sugar cookies. Our bank accounts look like a disaster zone. This is why the tradition of the 12 days is actually kind of genius from a mental health perspective. Instead of one massive, high-pressure day followed by a cold turkey return to the grind, the 12-day cycle encourages a slow fade-out of the festivities.
In many European cultures, January 2nd is still a public holiday. In Scotland, it’s a bank holiday because Hogmanay (New Year's) is such a massive deal that one day of recovery isn't enough. They need that 9th day to just... exist.
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Why the number nine matters
In numerology and ancient folklore, nine is a powerful number. It’s the last of the single digits, representing completion but also a bridge to something new. In Norse mythology, there are nine worlds. In Dante’s Divine Comedy, there are nine circles of Hell (maybe don't bring that up at the Christmas dinner table).
When you get to the nine ladies dancing, you’re reaching the climax of the song’s energy. The gifts start moving. Before day nine, the gifts are mostly static objects or birds (which, let’s be honest, just sit there or poop). From day nine to twelve, it’s all about people: dancing, leaping, piping, and drumming. It represents the shift from receiving "things" to the communal joy of a party.
The ladies dancing signify the transition from the quiet, holy reflection of the birth of Christ toward the public celebration of Epiphany.
Misconceptions about the "Twelfth Night"
A lot of people think the 12 days end on Christmas. I’ve seen people argue about this on Reddit for hours. But if you follow the traditional count:
- Day 1: Dec 25
- Day 5: Dec 29 (Golden Rings)
- Day 9: Jan 2 (Ladies Dancing)
- Day 12: Jan 5 (Twelfth Night)
If you take your decorations down on New Year’s Day, you’re technically cutting the 9th day of Christmas short. Some superstitions actually say it's bad luck to take the greenery down before the 12 days are up. Others say if you don't take them down by the 5th, you have to leave them up all year or the forest spirits will cause mischief in your house.
I’m not saying you’ll have ghosts in your attic if you pack up the tinsel on January 2nd, but why risk it?
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How to actually celebrate the 9th day
If you want to lean into the spirit of the day without hiring a professional ballet troupe, there are ways to make January 2nd feel less like a "Monday morning" and more like a continuation of the season.
First, eat the cake. If you’re in a culture that does the King Cake or the Vasilopita, this is the time. It’s a final burst of sweetness before the inevitable "New Year, New Me" salad diets kick in. Second, lean into the "Nine Ladies" theme by actually moving. After a week of sitting on the couch watching movies, a little bit of movement—even if it’s just a walk or a bad kitchen dance session—actually helps clear the brain fog.
Honestly, the 9th day is about endurance. It’s about keeping the light of the holidays going when the rest of the world has moved on to tax season and gym memberships.
Actionable ways to reclaim the day:
- Host a "Leftover" Party: Everyone has random cheese plates and half-bottles of wine. Invite friends over on the evening of the 2nd to finish it all off.
- Keep the Lights On: Don't flip the switch yet. Keep the festive lighting going until the Epiphany on the 6th. It helps with the Seasonal Affective Disorder that hits in early January.
- Research Your Ancestry: Many families have specific 9th-day traditions (like the Scottish bank holiday or Greek St. Basil’s feast) that have been lost over generations.
- Practice the "Nine Fruits": Even if you aren't religious, focusing on one of those nine virtues (patience is a big one for January 2nd traffic) can be a good mental reset.
The 9th day of Christmas doesn't have to be the day the fun dies. It’s the day the celebration gets its second wind. Whether you’re looking at it through the lens of ancient church history, a quirky 18th-century memory game, or just a reason to delay the return to the office, there’s plenty of depth to be found. Keep the dancing going a little longer. The "real world" can wait a few more days.
Next Steps for Your Post-Holiday Transition:
- Check the local calendar for Epiphany or "Three Kings Day" events in your city to end the 12 days with a bang.
- Audit your holiday spending today—the 9th day is the perfect time to tally the "Christmas Price Index" of your own life before the bills arrive in February.
- Look up a recipe for Vasilopita to bring a bit of Greek tradition to your January 2nd table.