Twilight Days

I recently learned that Ancient EgyptIans had a calendar that is similar to ours: they had a 12 month cycle with 30 days each, and then five “epagomenal” days (or extra days) at the end of the twelfth month to round out the calendar year to 365 days.  These five days were considered to be the birthdays of the gods, and if I remember correctly people would use this time to relax.

In Western Culture, it seems like we unintentionally re-created these epagomenal days by having a week between Christmas and New Years. In my mind, I’ve always called this odd stretch of time between 12/26 - 12/31 “twilight days.”

Typically I don’t like in between stages - waiting has never been my strong suit - but I think the ancient Egyptians were onto something when they took these floating days between the old and new year to chill. Granted my work and life schedule allows, I’ve always appreciated the time between Xmas and NYE to rest. 

I think it’s good to take that time to not adhere to a schedule, to relax, to eat too much, be a little bit aimless; to allow anxiety to fall at the wayside, or to allow anxiety to just be. Despite a crazy year, I have found some peace before 2024 has come to a close, and I hope you do too.

Wishing you a safe new year - I’ll see you with a new riveting blog entry in 2025.