Everything about Epiphany Holiday totally explained
Epiphany (
Greek for "to manifest" or "to show"), is a Christian
feast day which celebrates the "shining forth" or revelation of
God in human form in the person of
Jesus Christ. The feast falls on
January 6. Western Christians commemorate the visitation of the
Magi to the
child Jesus on this day, for example, his manifestation to the
Gentiles.
Eastern Christians commemorate the
baptism of Jesus in the
Jordan River, his manifestation as the
Son of God to the world. It is also called
Theophany ("manifestation of God"), especially by Eastern Christians.
History
The observance had its origins in the Eastern Christian Churches, and was originally a general celebration of the
Incarnation of
Jesus Christ, and included the commemoration of: his birth; the visit of the
Magi, or "Wise Men" from Persia Magi's being Persian priests, who arrived in
Bethlehem; all of Jesus' childhood events, up to and including his
baptism in the
Jordan by
John the Baptist; and even the miracle at the
Wedding of Cana in Galilee. However, it seems fairly clear that the Baptism was the event predominantly commemorated.
The date of the feast was very early fixed on
January 6. Ancient Liturgies speak of
Illuminatio, Manifestatio, Declaratio (Illumination, Manifestation, Declaration); cf. ; ; and ; where the Baptism and the Marriage at Cana are dwelt upon. Western Christians have traditionally emphasized the "Revelation to the Gentiles" mentioned in Luke, where the term
Gentile means all non-Jewish peoples. The
Biblical Magi, who represent the non-Jewish peoples of the world, paid homage to the infant Jesus in stark contrast to
Herod the Great (King of Judea) who sought to kill him.However, in this event there's also a revelation to the
Children of Israel. Saint
John Chrysostom identified the significance of the meeting between the Magi and Herod's court: "The star had been hidden from them so that, on finding themselves without their guide, they'd have no alternative but to consult the Jews. In this way the birth of Jesus would be made known to all."
The earliest reference to Epiphany as a Christian feast was in the year
361, by
Ammianus Marcellinus St. Epiphanius says that January 6 is
hemera genethlion toutestin epiphanion (Christ's "Birthday; that is, His Epiphany"). He also asserts that the Miracle at Cana occurred on the same calendar day. although the celebration isnt celebrated as a public holiday many people in the eastern parts still celebrate
In
385, the
pilgrim Egeria (also known as Silvia) describes a celebration in
Jerusalem and
Bethlehem, which she calls "Epiphany" (
epiphania) that obviously commemorates the
Nativity of Christ. Even at this early date, there's already an
octave associated with the feast.
In a sermon delivered on December 25, 380, St.
Gregory of Nazianzus somewhat confusingly refers to the day as
ta theophania ("the Theophany", an alternative name for Epiphany) saying expressly that it's a day commemorating
he hagia tou Christou gennesis ("the holy nativity of Christ") and tells his listeners that that'll soon be celebrating the baptism of Christ. Then, on January 6 and 7, he preached two more sermons wherein he declared that the celebration of the birth of Christ and the visitation of the Magi had already taken place, and that they'd now commemorate his Baptism. So at this point the two celebrations are beginning to be separated, at least in
Cappadocia.
However, this wasn't the case everywhere. Saint
John Cassian says that even in his time (beginning of the 5th century) the
Egyptian monasteries still celebrated the Nativity and Baptism together on January 6. The
Armenian Apostolic Church still continues to celebrate January 6 as the only commemoration of the Nativity.
Epiphany in different Christian traditions
Epiphany is celebrated by both the Eastern and Western Churches, but a major difference between them is over precisely which historical events the feast commemorates. For Western Christians the feast primarily commemorates the coming of the Magi, while in the East the feast celebrates the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan. However, in both cases the essence of the feast is the same: the manifestation of Christ to the world (whether as an infant or in the Jordan), and the Mystery of the
Incarnation.
Western Christian Churches
By the year
534 the Western Church had separated out the celebration of the Nativity of Christ into the feast of
Christmas and set its date as
December 25, reserving January 6 as a commemoration of the coming of the Magi. The East continued to celebrate
January 6 as a composite feast, only later adopting December 25 to commemorate both Jesus' birth and the coming of the Magi, but leaving January 6 as a commemoration of his Baptism. Hungarians, perhaps because of their location between East and West, celebrate the coming of the Magi, but refer to the celebration as
Vízkereszt or "water cross," clearly a reference to baptism.
Liturgical practice in Western Churches
The West generally acknowledges a twelve-day festival, starting on
December 25, and ending on
January 5, known as
Christmastide or the
twelve days of Christmas, although some
Christian cultures, especially those of
Latin America and some in Europe extend it to as many as forty days, ending on
Candlemas (
February 2).
On the Feast of the Epiphany itself, the priest, wearing white vestments, will bless the Epiphany Water, frankincense, gold, and chalk. Chalk is used to write the initials of the three
magi over the doors of churches and homes. Not only do the letters stand for the initials of the Magi (traditionally named Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar), but of the phrase
Christus mansionem benedicat, which translates as "may Christ bless the house".
There is also an ancient custom of solemnly anouncing the
date of Easter on the feast of Epiphany. This tradition dates from a time when calendars were not readily available, and it was therefore necessary to make known the date of
Easter in advance, since many celebrations of the
liturgical year depend on it. The proclamation may be sung or proclaimed at the
ambo by a
deacon,
cantor, or
reader either after the reading of the
Gospel or after the
prayer after communion. a miracle attested to as early as
St. John Chrysostom.
Theophany is a traditional day for performing
Baptisms, and this is reflected in the
Divine Liturgy by singing the baptismal hymn, "As many as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. Alleluia," in place of the
Trisagion.
House Blessings On Theophany the priest will begin making the round of the parishioner's homes to bless them. He will perform a short prayer service in each home, and then go through the entire house, gardens and outside-buildings, blessing them with the newly-blessed Theophany Water, while all sing the
Troparion and
Kontakion of the feast. This is normally done on Theophany, or at least during the
Afterfeast, but if the parishioners are numerous, and especially if many live far away from the church, it may take some time to bless each house. Traditionally, these blessings should all be finished before the beginning of
Great Lent).
Afterfeast The Feast of Theophany is followed by an eight-day
Afterfeast on which the normal fasting laws are suspended. The Saturday and Sunday after Theophany have special readings assigned to them, which relate to the
Temptation of Christ and to penance and perseverance in the Christian struggle. There is thus a liturgical continuum between the Feast of Theophany and the beginning of
Great Lent.
Oriental Christian Churches
Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the feast is known as
Timkat and is celebrated on January 19 (or January 20 if that year is a
Leap Year according to the
Ethiopian calendar). The celebration of this feast features Blessing of Waters and solemn processions with the sacred
Tabot.
Among the
Syriac Christians the feast is called
denho (up-going), a name to be connected with the notion of rising light expressed in .
In the
Armenian Church, January 6 is celebrated as the Nativity (
Sourp Dznount) and Theophany of Christ. The feast is preceded by a seven-day fast. On the eve of the feast, the
Divine Liturgy is celebrated. This Liturgy is referred to as the
Jrakaloutz Badarak (the Eucharist of the lighting of the lamps) in honor of the manifestation of Jesus as the Son of God. This Liturgy is followed by a Blessing of Waters, during which the cross is immersed in the water, symbolizing Jesus' descent into the Jordan, and holy
muron (
chrism) poured in, symbolic of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus. The next morning, after the Liturgy, the cross is removed from the vessel of Holy Water and all come forward to kiss the cross and partake of the blessed water.
Local customs
In Rome, "Epiphania" was transformed into Befana, the great fair held at that season, when sigillaria of terracotta or baked pastry were sold (
Macrobius I, x, xxiv; II, xlix).
In some European cultures, the greenery put up at Christmas is taken down at Epiphany, in other cultures it remains up until the
Meeting of the Lord (February 2).
The Irish call this day
Little Christmas or "Women's Christmas" (
Irish: Nollaig na mBan).
The Dutch call this day
Drie koningen (Three Kings' Day).
In France, on Epiphany people eat the
gâteau des Rois in
Provence or the
galette des Rois in the northern half of
France and
Belgium. This is a kind of
king cake, with a trinket (usually a porcelain figurine of a king) or a bean hidden inside. The person who gets the piece of cake with the trinket becomes "king" for a day.
In
Portugal, Epiphany, on 6 January, is called
dia dos Reis (day of the kings), during which the traditional
Bolo Rei (King cake) is baked and eaten.
In
Spain,
Mexico,
Cuba,
Filipinas (
Philippines),
Puerto Rico and some other
Latin American countries Epiphany day is called
El Día de los Reyes (The Day of the Kings), for example, the day when a group of Kings or Magi, as related in the second chapter of the
gospel of
Matthew, arrived to worship and bring three gifts to the baby Jesus after following a star in the heavens. This day is sometimes known as the
Día de los Tres Reyes Magos (The day of the Three Royal
Magi) or
La Pascua de los Negros (Holy Day of the Blackmen) in
Chile, although the latter is rarely heard. In Spanish tradition, on the day of
January 6, three of the Kings: Melchor, Gaspar, and Balthazar, representing Europe, Arabia, and Africa, arrived on horse, camel and elephant, bringing respectively gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus.
In
Spain,
Mexico,
Argentina, and
Uruguay, children (and many adults) polish and leave their shoes ready for the Kings' presents before they go to bed on the eve of
January 6. Sweet wine, nibbles, fruit and milk are left for the Kings and their camels. In
Mexico, it's traditional for children to leave their shoes, along with a letter with toy requests for the Three Kings, by the family nativity scene or by their beds. In some parts of northern
Mexico the shoes and letters are left under the Christmas tree. The shoes may be filled with hay for the
camels, so that the Kings will be generous with their gifts. In
Filipinas Christmas officially ends on the Feast of the Three Kings (Tres Reyes or Tatlong Hari in Tagalog), also known as the Feast of the Epiphany.
Filipino children leave their shoes out, so that the Three Kings would leave behind gifts like candy or money inside. In
Puerto Rico, it's traditional for children to fill a box with grass or hay and put it underneath their bed, for the same reasons. These traditions are analogous to the customs of children leaving mince pies and sherry out for
Father Christmas in Western Europe or leaving milk and cookies for
Santa Claus in the United States.
In the afternoon or evening of the same day the ritual of the
Rosca de Reyes is shared with family and friends. The
Rosca is a type of
pastry made with orange blossom water and butter, and decorated with candied fruit. Baked inside is a small doll representing the baby Jesus. In Mexico, the person who finds the doll in their piece of rosca must throw a party on February 2nd, "Candelaria Day," offering
tamales and
atole (a hot sweet drink thickened with corn flour) to the guests. In
Spain, the bread is known as
Roscón. Made with the same items, traditionally the roscón was simply a round, sweet bread with candied fruit on top, however, recently, different flavoured whipped creams are used as filling. The 'Jesus' doll evolved into a small toy similar to a Kinder Surprise it also includes a bean. The person who gets the toy is then crowned king for the day, while the person who finds the bean is responsible for paying for the Roscon.
In
Louisiana, Epiphany is the beginning of the
Mardi Gras season, during which it's customary to bake
King Cakes, similar to the Rosca mentioned above. The one who finds the doll (or bean) must provide the next king cake. The interval between Epiphany and Mardi Gras is sometimes known as "king cake season."
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