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Epiphany around the World
piphany, or the twelfth day of Christmas, falls on January 6 and marks the official end
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Eto the festive season for many Christians. On that day, Pope Francis will hold the Vatican's
annual Holy Mass for the Epiphany in St Peter's Basilica in Rome. The ancient Christian feast
day is significant as a celebration of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, as well as a
more general celebration of his birth. The six Sundays which follow Epiphany are known as
the time of manifestation. The Twelfth Night (Epiphany) also marks a visit to the baby Jesus
by three Kings, or Wise Men. The word 'Epiphany' comes from Greek and means to show,
referring to Jesus being revealed to the world.
In the West, Christians began celebrating the Epiphany in the 4 century, associating it with
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the visit of the Wise Men to Jesus. According to the Gospel of Matthew, the men found Jesus
by following a star across the desert to Bethlehem. The three men - named Melchior, Caspar
and Balthazar - followed the star of Bethlehem to meet the baby Jesus. According to Matthew
2:11, they offered gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The gifts were symbolic of the
importance of Jesus' birth, the gold representing his royal standing; frankincense his divine
birth; and myrrh his mortality. St Bede hints that the magi represent different races, an idea
that was further developed around the 14th century, in which the wise men were said to
represent the three known races of the time, European, Asian, and African. According to
another legend, St Thomas the Apostle visited the Magi, and after catechizing them, he
initiated them into the Christian faith. Eventually the Wise Men were ordained priests and
then bishops. Near the end of their lives, the Christmas Star revisited them, this time bringing
them together for a final reunion. The information provided by Bede, and this legend, are
interesting but may be historically unreliable.
During the medieval period, Christmas was celebrated for the twelve days from Christmas
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Eve on December 24 , until the Epiphany. Even up until the 19 century, January 6 was as
big a celebration as Christmas Day. For many Protestant churches, the season of Epiphany
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extends from January 6 until Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent, the last Sunday of the
Epiphany being celebrated as Transfiguration Sunday. Others, including the Catholic church,
observe Epiphany as a single day. Some Catholic dioceses in the United States mark the
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Epiphany feast on the Sunday after January 6 , whilst Orthodox Christians celebrate the
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holiday on January 19 each year.
Across the world, the day's festivities vary. In the Spanish speaking world Epiphany is known
as Dia de los Reyes (Three Kings' Day). In Mexico, for instance, crowds gather to taste the
Rosca de Reyes - Kings' bread. In other countries, a Jesus figurine is hidden in the bread.
The custom in Germany is that of the childrens' festival between January 1-6 (Three Kings
Day). After a service at the churches the children go from house to house to gather offerings
for poor children in poor countries. They are dressed as the three kings and carry sticks with
stars on the top. At the homes they sing songs and recite messages of Christmas. At each
house they paint the letters ‘20+C+M+B+14’ which are for the Latin Christus Mansionem
Benedicat (Christ bless this house). At the same time the letters are the first letters of the
names of the wise men: Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar.

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