Twelve Holy Nights 2026–27 · Rauhnächte
The Twelve Holy Nights and the 13 Wishes Ritual: Your 2026–27 Guide
Marina · founder of VISIYA · Updated The 13 wishes ritual comes from the Twelve Holy Nights, a German winter custom. In 2026–27 they run from December 25 to January 5 and close on the morning of January 6, one night for each month of the new year. Many people write their wishes on December 21, the winter solstice.
- days until the first night
- 71
- nights
- 12
- wishes
- 13
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The short version
What are the Twelve Holy Nights (Rauhnächte)?
The Twelve Holy Nights are the nights between Christmas and Epiphany on January 6. In German they're called Rauhnächte (roughly “ROWH-nekh-tuh”). In Germany and the Alps they were a time outside of time, each night standing for one month of the year ahead.
Germans still call this week “zwischen den Jahren”, between the years. It's the same stretch as the Twelve Days of Christmas, and some people call it the 12 nights of Yule, after the old midwinter festival. You don't have to believe anything to use it: for most people today, it's twelve quiet evenings to look back and picture the year ahead.
Dates 2026–27
When are the Twelve Holy Nights in 2026–27?
The Twelve Holy Nights 2026–27 run from the evening of Friday, December 25, 2026 to the morning of Wednesday, January 6, 2027; the twelfth night is January 5. If you start at the winter solstice, as many people doing the 13 wishes ritual do, you begin on Monday, December 21.
Each night means the evening and the night after it, so New Year's Eve is night 7.
Dec 21
Winter solstice start
St. Thomas's Day in the old church calendar, at the winter solstice. Gives you a few days to slow down and write your wishes.
Dec 25
The classic count
Night 1 is Christmas night and stands for January; night 12 is January 5. VISIYA's board follows this count.
Dec 24
Christmas Eve start
Some regions begin on Christmas Eve. Still twelve nights, shifted by one.
| Night | Date | Stands for | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 2027 | Letting go | |
| 2 | February 2027 | Gratitude | |
| 3 | March 2027 | Relationships | |
| 4 | April 2027 | Work life | |
| 5 | May 2027 | Health | |
| 6 | June 2027 | Finances and abundance | |
| 7 | July 2027 | Visions for the new year | |
| 8 | August 2027 | New beginnings | |
| 9 | September 2027 | Inner child and joy | |
| 10 | October 2027 | Harmony and beauty | |
| 11 | November 2027 | Spiritual guidance | |
| 12 | December 2027 | Manifestation |
- Winter solstice: Mon, December 21, the longest night of the year.
- Full moon: Wed, December 23. The moon is still nearly full on the first few nights.
- Solstice and full moon dates from the U.S. Naval Observatory.
The 13 wishes ritual
How do you do the 13 wishes ritual?
Write 13 wishes on 13 slips of paper before the first night. Each of the twelve nights, burn one slip without reading it. The slip left on January 6 is the wish you take care of yourself.
Write each wish as if it's already true: “I am healthy”, not “I want to stop getting sick.” Twelve wishes you hand over without knowing which; the thirteenth is yours to work on.
Step by step
- 1Write 13 wishesBefore December 25, or on the solstice. One wish per slip.
- 2Fold and mixFold each slip so you can't read it and put them all in a bowl or jar.
- 3Burn one slip each nightEach night, draw one slip without reading it and burn it in a fireproof bowl. There's no set time; many do it before bed.
- 4Missed a night?Burn two slips the next evening. Started late? Catch up the same way.
- 5Open the last slip on January 6One slip is left after night 12. Read it on the morning of January 6.
- 6Make the 13th wish happenWrite down a first step and put the wish where you'll see it every day.
Example wishes
- “I sleep well and wake up rested.”
- “I have work I look forward to on Monday mornings.”
- “I spend one whole day a month with the people I love.”
- “I'm saving every month for my big trip.”
- “I talk to myself kindly, even on bad days.”
- “I ask for what I need.”
Burn safely
- Use a fireproof bowl of ceramic, metal or stone, and keep a glass of water within reach.
- Stay away from curtains, the Christmas tree and anything else that can catch. An open window, a balcony or the backyard is best.
- Stay until the flame is out and nothing is glowing. Keep kids and pets back.
- Can't burn anything where you live? Tear the slip up unread, bury it in a flowerpot, or let it float away in a stream if the paper is untreated.
What do you do with the 13th wish?
It becomes your project for the year. Give it the best spot on your vision board, with a picture of how it will feel when it's true. On the free Twelve Holy Nights board it goes in the last area, “Manifestation”.
December 21, 24 or 25
When do you start the 13 wishes ritual: December 21, 24 or 25?
Start burning on the first of your twelve nights, most often December 25, and have your wishes written before then. Many people in the US write them on December 21, the winter solstice, and some start burning that night instead.
In Germany the usual count runs from December 25 to January 5. Some regions start around the solstice and end on New Year's Day, others on Christmas Eve. In the US, the 13 wishes ritual is mostly shared as a solstice ritual, so you'll see December 21 a lot online. Any count works; pick one and stick with it.
History
Where does the tradition come from?
One common explanation is the calendar: twelve lunar months add up to only 354 days, while the solar year has 365. The leftover eleven days and twelve nights belonged to neither year, and a lot of folklore grew up around them, especially in the Alps and southern Germany.
The name isn't settled. One explanation traces it to the Middle High German rûch, “hairy” or “rough”, for the fur-clad figures said to roam these nights. Another links it to the smoke used to bless homes and stables, which is why you'll also see “Rauchnächte”, smoke nights.
Folk tales put the Wild Hunt, a ghostly host, in the winter sky on these nights. In Alpine villages, Perchten in fur and carved masks still parade on the eve of Epiphany, making noise to drive off whatever is lurking. Farmers' lore said each night's weather foretold its month, and that idea of twelve nights for twelve months is what today's rituals build on.
More rituals
What other rituals belong to the nights between the years?
Besides the 13 wishes: smoke cleansing, a dream journal, letting go of the old year and a line of gratitude each night. Pick one or two. The point is twelve calm evenings, not a checklist.
Smoke cleansing
Walk through your home with smoldering resin or herbs, like frankincense, juniper or rosemary, then open the windows.
Dream journal
Write down your dreams each morning. Tradition says they hint at the night's month.
Letting go
On the solstice or night 1, write down what you're leaving in 2026. Then tear it up.
A line of gratitude
One sentence each night about what you're thankful for.
A card for each night
Draw an oracle card or an affirmation each evening as the message for that month.
Quiet evenings
Tea, a candle, your phone on silent. Nothing on the calendar.
Night by night
Which night stands for which month?
The first night, December 25, stands for January, the second for February, and so on to the twelfth night, January 5, which stands for December. On our board each night has its own theme and a question for the evening.
1Letting goDec 25 → January
What patterns, mindsets or routines would you like to leave behind?
2GratitudeDec 26 → February
Who made a positive difference this year, and which moments stand out?
3RelationshipsDec 27 → March
Which friendships would you like to deepen, and which connections have run their course?
4Work lifeDec 28 → April
Does your current role align with your purpose, or is it time for something new?
5HealthDec 29 → May
What changes could help you feel more energized and balanced every day?
6Finances and abundanceDec 30 → June
Looking ahead to next year, what are your financial goals?
7Visions for the new yearDec 31 → July
Which goals feel almost too big to say out loud?
8New beginningsJan 1 → August
Is there a part of your life that's ready for a complete reset?
9Inner child and joyJan 2 → September
When was the last time you had a real belly laugh?
10Harmony and beautyJan 3 → October
Where do you find moments of true peace?
11Spiritual guidanceJan 4 → November
Where could you listen more to your inner voice?
12ManifestationJan 5 → December
Which dreams light a fire in you, and what's the first concrete step?
Old folklore
What shouldn't you do during the Twelve Holy Nights?
Old German folklore says no laundry, no spinning and no card games during these nights. Nobody has to take that seriously, but it shows how special this time once felt.
No laundry on the line
It was said the Wild Hunt could get tangled in the washing, or take a white sheet and bring it back as a shroud.
Let the spinning wheel rest
Spinning and other housework stopped. Take it as permission to get nothing done.
No card games
Some towns banned card playing during these nights. Oracle cards, luckily, weren't on the list.
Folk customs, different from region to region. Part of the story, with no promised effect.
Your Twelve Holy Nights in VISIYA
How do you turn your 13 wishes into a vision board?
VISIYA has a free Twelve Holy Nights board with twelve areas, one for each night, each with a question and image ideas. Add a picture or two every evening, and by January 6 your vision board for 2027 is done.
Open the Twelve Holy Nights board in the app and all twelve nights are there. Night 1 is letting go: add what you're leaving in 2026. From night 2 on, the board builds toward 2027, and your 13th wish gets the last area.
Each evening, draw an affirmation from the “Message From The Universe” category and write one line in your gratitude journal. When the board is done, make it your iPhone wallpaper. Missed the nights? The 2027 vision board guide helps you start any time.
Letting go
Night 1's area is for what you're leaving behind: a picture, a word, a note.
Message From The Universe
Draw one affirmation each evening and keep it as the message for that night's month.
Gratitude journal
One line a night. By January 6 you have twelve entries and a new habit.
Wallpaper for 2027
Your finished board as a lock or home screen collage. The preview is free.
Scan with your iPhone camera to get VISIYAQuestions about the Twelve Holy Nights
When do you start the 13 wishes ritual?
Write your wishes before the first night and burn the first slip on the evening of December 25, 2026, or on December 21 if you follow the solstice start. Then one slip a night for twelve nights.
When do you open the 13th wish?
On January 6, after the twelfth night. That's the wish you take care of yourself in the new year.
What if I miss a night?
Burn two slips the next evening. If you start late, catch up on the nights you missed the same way.
What are the Rauhnächte called in English?
The Twelve Holy Nights, or the Twelve Nights; some say the 12 nights of Yule. Rauhnächte, also spelled Raunächte, is the German name, pronounced roughly “ROWH-nekh-tuh”.
When is the winter solstice in 2026?
On Monday, December 21, 2026, at 3:50 p.m. Eastern Time (20:50 UTC), according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. It's the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
Is the Twelve Holy Nights board in VISIYA free?
Yes. The board with twelve areas, questions and image ideas is free in VISIYA for iPhone and iPad, and the board page has a free printable PDF too.
Your first night starts December 25.
Get the free board now, so it's ready when you light the first candle.
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