With Christmas and New Year celebrations now over, it's time to start the year afresh and get your home ready for 2023.
In Ireland, one of the traditions around Christmas is to remove the festive decorations before Nollaig na mBan - which falls on January 6.
However, the exact date of when the Christmas tree comes down varies from house to house as some families like to prolong the festive season into the dark days of January.
But according to tradition, leaving your tree up for too long after the festive period could bring you bad luck.
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It's based on a Christian tradition dating all the way back to the 4th century called Twelfth Night, and we've explored the history behind this event and why you might want to take your decorations down before it.
You're probably already familiar with the 12 Days of Christmas, which supposedly marks the time period between the birth of Jesus and the Three Wise Men.
It begins on December 25 and ends on January 6 - and this date is also known as the Epiphany.
However, the 12th night after Christmas falls on January 5 this year. It differs from year to year, depending on whether you count the 25th or not. This Twelfth Night is historically the time of year that your decorations should be taken down.
It's believed that until the 1800s, the 12-day period after Christmas featured several other holidays and celebrations until they were thought to be taken off the calendar by Queen Victoria.
After the Twelfth Night, the Victorians expected people to halt the celebrations and get back to work. This could be why it's now deemed as unlucky to keep the decorations up beyond this point.
Another theory as to why your tree could bring bad luck beyond Twelfth Night is because of superstitions surrounding the trees themselves.
According to History.com, people used to believe that evergreens would ward away any evil spirits, witches, ghosts or bad luck if they were kept in your home.
Therefore, getting rid of them before they withered and died was essential in keeping your house free from evil.
The date you want to take your tree down remains completely personal. However, for those of us who are superstitious, it's suggested you pack it away on January 5.
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