Distaff day, also called Roc day, is 7 January, the day after the feast of the Epiphany. In many European cultural traditions, women resumed their household work after the twelve days of Christmas. The distaff, used in spinning, was the mediaeval symbol of women's work. January 7 is the 7th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the Christian feast. ... Twelve Days of Christmas is a traditional Christmas song, or Christmas carol. ...
Some modern women's craft groups have taken up the celebration of Distaff day as part of their new year celebrations.
DistaffDay, also called Roc Day, is 7 January, the day after the feast of the Epiphany.
The distaff, or rock, used in spinning was the medieval symbol of women's work.
Often the men and women would play pranks on each other during this day, as was written by Robert Herrick in his poem "Saint Distaffsday, or the Morrow After Twelfth Day" which appears in his Hesperides.
DISTAFF, in the early forms of spinning, the "rock" or short stick round one end of which the flax, cotton or wool is loosely wound, and from which it is spun off by the spindle.
the use of "spinster" for an unmarried woman); thus the "distaff" or "spindle" side of a family refers to the female branch, as opposed to the "spear" or male branch.
The 7th of January, the day after Epiphany, was formerly known as St Distaff'sday, as women then began work again after the Christmas holiday.
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