reading time: 17 min

Have you ever listened to the English Christmas carol The Twelve Days of Christmas and wondered what they are singing about? The Twelve Days of Christmas are also known as Twelvetide, The Omen Days, The Twelve Quiet Days or The Twelve Holy Nights, and they refer to the special period of time between the old year and the new year.

These twelve nights arise because on the one hand there is the solar calendar with 365 days, and on the other hand there are the twelve moons with 354 days, 29.5 days per month. This results in a difference of twelve nights – twelve days that are neither part of the old year nor part of the new year and therefore "outside" of time. It is believed to be a period during which time "stands still" when the veil between the worlds is thin, and therefore it is a highly spiritual time.

Officially, the Twelve Days of Christmas begin on the night of Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, December 25, and conclude on Epiphany, January 5, at midnight which is also known as Three Kings Day or Twelfth Day.

Alternatively and going by the name of Yuletide or the Twelve Days of Yule you can also celebrate this mystical time beginning on Yule (the Winter Solstice) which falls on December 21, and ending on January 1. This is also where the custom of burning a Yule log for the duration of 12 days comes into play.

In my case, I usually celebrate the Twelve Days starting on Christmas Day, but this decision is entirely up to you.

During the Twelve Days it is believed that the Wild Hunt begins and Odin roams the skies with his army of the dead to frighten man and beast. At this time, people should stay indoors in order not to be carried away by the raging Wild Hunt. But people also thought of the departed souls and prayed for them so that they would be freed.

For that reason it was and still is common to put candles on the window sill or by the door and to smudge the home to protect yourself from unwelcome spirits that pass by. We are also particularly close to our ancestors during this time and we can honour them through thoughts and prayers. This time is also particularly good for making wishes and oracles.

In fact, the Twelve Days are even said to predict the course of the new year. Basically, each of the twelve days is said to correlate to how each month of the next year will be, so December 25 represents what January will hold for your, December 26 represents February and so on.

It is a time of peace and silence, of introspective and reflection. All work should be left undone, if possible. So it's best to take the days off during this period, and spend the time at home, recalling the old year, thinking of your resolutions for the coming near, or just reading a good book!

Today I want to share with you the daily rituals that you can do during the magical time of Twelvetide or The Twelve Days of Christmas. These rituals are separated into general rituals you can do every day, and rituals that are specific to each day of the Twelve Days.

Black Forest Cake (Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte) is a traditional German dessert, probably named after the Black Forest in southwestern Germany, or rather the local speciality of Schwarzwälder Kirsch(wasser), a brandy made from sour cherries.

It is the most popular cake here in Germany, traditionally made with chocolate sponge cake layers filled with whipped cream and cherry compote as well as covered in whipped cream and chocolate shavings, resulting in a slightly rustic look. It usually also contains Kirsch or Kirschwasser, hence the name. I made this gorgeous cake – that would also be absolutely justified to bear the name "Snow White Cake" in my opinion – for my fiancé's birthday this week. It was a huge hit!!

In our case, I made it alcohol-free, but I did include some instructions for adding the cherry brandy in the recipe, if you prefer your cake to be a bit boozy. I also didn't go for the classic chocolate shavings on the sides, but used homemade chocolate bark instead. Again, instructions for that are included in this recipe!

This Black Forest cake is
egg-free
dairy-free
wheat-free
rich
moist
fluffy
light
soft
chocolatey
fruity
& simply heavenly

I've created my own recipe based on various recipes online, most notably this one by Bianca Zapatka, as well as this one.

This recipe is ideal to prepare over two days – prepare the cake and the cherry compote the night before, and continue with the cream filling and frosting the next day. The finished cake can be chilled for a couple of hours before serving!

Spread half of the cherry compote evenly on the bottom cake layer. Spread about a third of the whipped cream over the compote, leaving about a finger's width around the edge. (It will squash out a little when you sandwich the layers together.) Make sure that the surface is as smooth and even as possible.

Top with the middle cake layer and repeat spreading with the remaining cherry compote and another third cream.

Lastly, carefully place the third cake layer on top (smooth side up). Set aside about 3/4 cup of whipped cream for decoration.

Using a clean spatula, frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining whipped cream until the cake is completely covered in whipped cream.

Decorate sides of the cake with the prepared chocolate bark. Pipe 8 to 16 swirls of whipped cream around the edge of the cake, and garnish the middle of the cake with remaining chopped chocolate bark or chocolate shavings. Put a cherry on each cream swirl.

Refrigerate cake until serving. Dig in!

If you are looking for more veganized German classics, you might like these:

Vegan Snow White Cake | Donauwelle

Vegan Butter Cake | Butterkuchen

Vegan German Bee Sting Cake | Bienenstich

Vegan Mole Cake | Maulwurfskuchen

 reading time: 4 min

In summer 2018 I chopped off 30 centimetres / 12 inches of my hair because I needed a fresh start, and also because I really wanted to donate my hair to a charity. From this day onward I stopped straightening my hair because the health of my hair (and my overall body) became a priority.

In February 2020 – just before the whole world started to fall apart and renew itself – I got engaged! And since I want to have long, strong and shiny hair to put into a beautiful bridal hairstyle for my soon-to-come wedding, I have been growing out my hair for the past 1 1/2 years. One of the things I did to speed up hair growth and keep my hair looking supple and healthy is to apply this homemade hair oil onto my scalp and to the tips of my hair once a week.

Using high-quality oils is key here, as these will provide the necessary vital elements such fatty acids for fast growing, healthy hair. Oils are also great for detangling hair (kind of like a hair lubricant), and they also work as a (heat) protectant that seals the cuticle down. You could skip the rosemary and stick to pure oils, but I wouldn't recommend that since rosemary is known to be one of the most potent herbs to strengthen circulation, stimulate hair growth, thicken hair, prevent premature greying and dandruff.

I find that natural treatments always work the best (and they don't have any nasty side effects like many commercial chemical based products). This oil has amazing hair benefits like boosting hair growth, fighting dandruff, adding lustre, strengthening hair follicles etc. It's also great for repairing dry, frizzy and damaged hair.

I hope this homemade hair oil also helps you to get long and strong hair in a completely natural way!