In western Christian
tradition, January 6 is celebrated as Epiphany.
It goes by other names in various church traditions. In
Hispanic and Latin culture, as well as some places in Europe,
it is known as Three Kings’ Day.Because of differences in church calendars, mainly
between the Eastern Orthodox and the western Catholic and
Protestant traditions, both Christmas and Epiphany have been
observed at different times in the past. Today, most of
the Eastern Orthodox traditions follow the western church
calendar.
Epiphany is the climax of
the Advent/Christmas Season and the
Twelve Days of Christmas, which are usually counted
from the evening of December 25th until the morning of
January 6th, which is the Twelfth Day. In following this
older custom of counting the days beginning at sundown, the
evening of January 5th is the Twelfth Night. This is
an occasion for feasting in some cultures, including the
baking of a special King's Cake as part of the
festivities of Epiphany.
In some church traditions,
only the full days are counted so that January 5th is the
Eleventh Day of Christmas, January 6th is the Twelfth Day,
and the evening of January 6th is counted as the Twelfth
Night.
In traditional Christian
churches Christmas, as well
as Easter, is celebrated as
a period of time, a season of the church year, rather than
just a day. The Season of the Church Year associated with
Christmas actually begins with the first Sunday of
Advent, four Sundays before Christmas Day.
Advent is marked by expectation and anticipation in preparing
to celebrate the coming of Jesus. Christmas
begins with Christmas Day December 25 and lasts for
Twelve Days until
Epiphany, January 6, which
looks ahead to the mission of the church to the world in
light of the Nativity. The one or two Sundays between
Christmas Day and Epiphany are sometimes called
Christmastide.
For many Protestant church
traditions, the season of Epiphany extends from January 6th
until Ash Wednesday, which
begins the season of Lent
leading to Easter.
Depending on the timing of Easter, this longer period of
Epiphany includes from four to nine Sundays. In some western
traditions, the last Sunday of Epiphany is celebrated as
Transfiguration Sunday.
The term epiphany
means "to show" or "to make known" or even "to reveal." In
Western churches, it remembers the coming of the wise men
bringing gifts to visit the Christ child, who by so doing
"reveal" Jesus to the world as Lord and King.
Symbols of Epiphany
The colors of Epiphany are
usually the colors of Christmas, white and gold, the colors
of celebration, newness, and hope that mark the most sacred
days of the church year. The colors for Transfiguration
Sunday are usually the colors of Holy Days, white and gold.
The traditional liturgical
symbols of Epiphany are usually associated with the Magi. The
symbols include either three crowns or a single crown,
various portrayals of the Magi or Wise Men, three gifts, a
five pointed star, or a combination of a star and crown. A
more modern symbol of Epiphany is a globe or a stylized
portrayal of the world.
