Distaff Day, also called Roc Day or Rock Day, is 7 January, the day after the feast of the

Epiphany Epiphany may refer to: * Epiphany (feeling), an experience of sudden and striking insight Religion * Epiphany (holiday), a Christian holiday celebrating the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ ** Epiphany season, or Epiph ...

. It is also known as Saint Distaff's Day, one of the many unofficial holidays in Catholic nations. The

distaff A distaff (, , also called a rock"Rock." ''The Oxford English Dictionary''. 2nd ed. 1989.), is a tool used in spinning. It is designed to hold the unspun fibers, keeping them untangled and thus easing the spinning process. It is most commonly us ...

, or roc, used in spinning was the medieval symbol of women's work. In many European cultural traditions, women resumed their household work after the

twelve days of Christmas The Twelve Days of Christmas, also known as Twelvetide, is a festive Christian season celebrating the Nativity of Jesus. In some Western ecclesiastical traditions, "Christmas Day" is considered the "First Day of Christmas" and the Twelve Days a ...

. Women of all classes would spend their evenings spinning on the wheel. During the day, they would carry a drop spindle with them. Spinning was the only means of turning raw wool, cotton or flax into thread, which could then be woven into cloth. Men have their own way of celebrating this occasion, called Plough Monday, the first Monday after

when men are supposed to get back to work. Every few years, Distaff Day and Plough Monday fall on the same day. Often the men and women would play pranks on each other during this celebration, as described by Robert Herrick in his poem "St. Distaff's Day", which appears in his ''Hesperides'' (1648). In the 20th century, Herrick's poem was set to music. Some modern craft groups have taken up the celebration of Distaff Day as part of their

New Year New Year is the time or day currently at which a new calendar year begins and the calendar's year count increments by one. Many cultures celebrate the event in some manner. In the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar system to ...

celebrations. Distaff Day gatherings are held, large and small, throughout local fiber communities.

References

External links

Chambers' Book of Days
– January 7 Unofficial observances Epiphany (holiday) January observances {{holiday-stub