Twelve Nights Journal (Rauhnächte)
A4, fits US Letter · 24 pages · color and black & white · printable PDF
The Rauhnächte are twelve "rough nights" of German and Alpine folk tradition between Christmas and Epiphany. In this journal the Twelve Nights run from December 25 to January 6: twelve evenings, from Dec 25 to Jan 5, with a candle, a small ritual and a question. Each evening also comes with an old custom, told the way it appears in the sources – with a wink and without any esoteric promises. You don't have to believe any of it, and five minutes in the evening are enough. Nothing depends on the season: a candle and a blanket where it's cold, an open window where it's warm.
Purchase and download through Etsy. Structure and text are my own; the English edition was translated with AI assistance and checked. The illustrations were made with an AI generator.
A look inside
What's inside
SETTLING IN
- What Are the Rauhnächte? – what is documented and what is only fun to tell
- Your Way Through the Nights – five-minute version and whole evening, an overview of the evenings from Dec 24 (start) to Jan 5 (Night 12)
- Before the First Night – evening spot, mood, St. Thomas' Night and Christmas Night
13 WISHES
- The 13 wishes ritual explained – with a version without fire and safety notes
- 13 wish slips to cut out
- The 13th wish – on January 6
TWELVE NIGHTS
One page per night: ritual for today, a question with plenty of writing space, "What they used to say …" with an old custom and its source, "How was today?", dream, weather (in one folk-weather tradition each night is linked to a month) and ticking off the wish slip.
TO FINISH
- Twelve Nights, Twelve Months – an overview to look back on during the year
- My Word for the New Year – words to circle
- Letter to Myself – to open next December
- How We Know – all sources for the customs on one page
DETAILS
- Format: A4 portrait, fits US Letter with "Fit to page"
- 24 pages (2 covers to choose from: with the year 2026/2027 or to fill in yourself – print only one), printable PDF
- Color and B/W versions included
- No fixed years inside, reusable every year
- Instant download once payment is confirmed
