The holiday season is full of faith and celebration. Even though people may believe this important time begins at the start of December, for millions of the Christians, the Twelve Days of Christmas begin with the birth of Baby Jesus on December 25 and continue through the Epiphany on January 6.
The Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day, is a Christian feast day that “celebrates the revelation of God in His Son as human in Jesus Christ,” says The National Shrine of Saint Jude. The Epiphany is celebrated on January 6 each year and gets its name from the Greek word meaning “to reveal, or manifestation,” a nod to the idea that this was the day Jesus was revealed to the world.
On the Epiphany, three Magi visited the Christ child to pay homage. These wise men were the first to greet Jesus after his parents. The Magi followed a star to Bethlehem, having faith that the Child’s location would be accurate. The unlikely royal visitors bestowed gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. These herbs are typically used in burial ceremonies, and their offering may have potentially foreshadowed Jesus’ destiny.
According to Father Hezekias Carnazzo, a Melkite Catholic priest and founding executive director of the Virginia-based Institute of Catholic Culture, the Feast of the Epiphany is one of the earliest feasts and actually predates the celebration of Christmas.
Although the Epiphany is an important date for Christians and many celebrate it, celebrants in Spain and Latin America consider it as important as Christmas Day. Within these nations Día de los Reyes (Three Kings Day) is a time for serving Rosca de Reyes, an oval-shaped treat that has a small doll inside to represent Baby Jesus. The figurine symbolizes the hiding of the infant Jesus from King Herod’s troops.
Children also receive the majority of their gifts on Three Kings Day. It is customary for kids to place their old shoes with a wish list on them for the Three Kings. On the morning of January 6, the shoes are filled with toys and gifts.
The Epiphany is celebrated in various ways around the world. In the Czech Republic, people swim in the freezing cold Vltava River and men dress up as the Magi before riding camels through Prague’s city center. Three Kings Bread, similar to the Rosca de Reyes and called Dreikönigskuchen, is prepared and consumed in Germany and Switzerland.
Christmas fanfare does not cease when the calendar turns from December 25 to 26. The Epiphany on January 6 also is an important day of celebration.
