Epiphany 2020: Know everything about the Feast of Three Kings’ Day

Epiphany, additionally called Feast of the Epiphany, Theophany, or Three Kings’ Day, (from Greek epiphaneia, “manifestation”), is celebrated 12 days after Christmas on 6th January around the globe yearly.

Epiphany is a Christian feast day that commends the revelation (theophany) of God incarnate as Jesus Christ. It is a public holiday in numerous nations and marks two occasions in Jesus Christ’s life, as per the Christian Bible. The first event was the point at which the three wise men, or kings, visited baby Jesus. The second occasion was when St John the Baptist baptized Jesus.

In Western Christianity, the feast honors essentially (however not exclusively) the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child, and subsequently Jesus’ physical manifestation to the Gentiles. It is sometimes called Three Kings’ Day, and in certain customs celebrated as Little Christmas. Additionally, the feast of the Epiphany, in certain denominations, likewise starts the liturgical season of Epiphanytide.

Eastern Christians, then again, remember the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, seen as his manifestation to the world as the Son of God. The spot marked by Qasr el Yahud in the West Bank, and Al-Maghtas in Jordan on the east bank, is viewed as the original site of the baptism of Jesus and the ministry of John the Baptist.

The customary date for the feast is January 6. Be that as it may, since 1970, the festival is held in certain nations on the Sunday after January 1. Those Eastern Churches which are as yet following the Julian calendar observe the feast on what, as indicated by the internationally utilized Gregorian calendar, is January 19, as a result of the presently 13-day difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars.

In numerous Western Christian Churches, the eve of the feast is commended as Twelfth Night (Epiphany Eve). The Monday after Epiphany is known as Plow Monday.

Popular Epiphany customs incorporate Epiphany singing, chalking the door, having one’s home blessed, consuming Three Kings Cake, winter swimming, as well as going to church services. It is customary for Christians in numerous areas to expel their Christmas decorations on Epiphany Eve (Twelfth Night), even though those in other Christian nations historically remove them on Candlemas, the finish of Epiphanytide. As indicated by the first tradition, the individuals who fail to remember to remove their Christmas decorations on Epiphany Eve must leave them untouched until Candlemas, the second chance to remove them; failure to see this custom is viewed as inauspicious.

A Christian holiday honoring the first manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles represented by the Magi, and the manifestation of his divinity, as it happened at his baptism in the Jordan River and his first marvel, at Cana in Galilee. Epiphany is one of the three principal and oldest celebration days of the Christian church (the other two are Easter and Christmas). Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, and other Western churches see the feast on January 6, while some Eastern Orthodox churches observe Epiphany on January 19, since their Christmas Eve falls on January 6.

What is Epiphany?

Epiphany is ordinarily known as Three Kings’ Day or the Feast of the Epiphany. It signifies “manifestation” or “showing forth”. It is additionally called Theophany (“manifestation of God”), particularly by Eastern Christians. Epiphany alludes not only to the day itself yet to the church season that follows it – a season that has a fluctuated length since it closes when Lent starts, and this relies upon the date of Easter.

It honors the initial two events on which Jesus’ divinity, as indicated by Christian belief, was manifested: when the three kings (otherwise called wise men or Magi) visited baby Jesus in Bethlehem, and when John the Baptist baptized him in the River Jordan. The Roman Catholic and Protestant churches emphasize the visit of the Magi when they praise the Epiphany. The Eastern Orthodox churches concentrate on Jesus’ baptism.

Epiphany is one of the oldest Christian feasts. It was praised since the finish of the second century before the Christmas holiday was set up. Like other Christian seasons, the church appropriated Epiphany from an old pagan celebration. As ahead of schedule as 1996 BCE, the Egyptians commended the winter solstice (which at that point happened on January 6) with a tribute to Aeon, the Virgin. Note that the holiday was set up before the Gregorian calendar’s introduction.

Epiphany celebrates the Three Wise Men’s visit to Bethlehem to see the child Jesus. The special day additionally recognizes Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist. Epiphany is the antiquated Christian feast day and is likewise referred to by some as Three King’s Day. The trio followed a star in the sky to the steady where Jesus was born, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

The word ‘Epiphany’ originates from the Greek word signifying ‘to reveal’, as it is the point at which the child Jesus seemed to be ‘revealed’ to the world. The date is a fantastically critical occasion in the Christian calendar, and Eastern Orthodox Christians observe Christmas on Epiphany. Up until the 19th century, the Epiphany was viewed as more essential to Christians than Christmas Day. This year, Epiphany falls on Monday, January 6.

Epiphany, otherwise called Three King’s Day, is a Christian feast celebrating the revelation of God to man (a theophany) and the presence of God in human history. In Western Christianity, the feast honors the Gospel of Matthew, as per which the Magi from the east came to Bethlehem to worship Jesus Christ. Eastern Churches honor on this day chiefly the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, seen as his manifestation as the Son of God.

In the United States, the Epiphany is praised on January 6, even though the date may vary in certain nations. Eastern Churches watch the feast on January 19 because of their use of the Julian Calendar.

Three Kings’ Day History

The celebration started in the Eastern church, where it at first incorporated a remembrance of Christ’s birth. In Rome, by 354 Christ’s birth was being praised on December 25, and later in the 4th century, the church in Rome started observing Epiphany on January 6. In the Western church, the celebration recognizes the visit by the Magi to the newborn child Jesus, which is viewed as proof that Christ, the Jewish Messiah, came additionally for the salvation of Gentiles. In the East, it honors the baptism of Jesus and celebrates the revelation that the incarnate Christ was both fully God and fully man.

In the West, the evening going before Epiphany is called Twelfth Night. The time between December 25 and January 6 is known as the Twelve Days of Christmas. Epiphany is praised with special pastries in numerous nations, and kids frequently get small gifts from their point of view to pay tribute to the Magi’s gifts to the baby Jesus. The holiday additionally has various traditions including water as a reflection of Jesus’ baptism, including the blessing of houses with holy water.

Epiphany is essentially celebrated by Catholics and Orthodox Christians. It’s a major and significant celebration in Spain, where it’s otherwise called ‘The festival of the Three Magic Kings’ – ‘Fiesta de Los tres Reyes Mages’, and is when Spanish and some other Catholic children get their presents – as they are delivered by the Three Kings!

Epiphany Eve (otherwise called Twelfth Night) denotes the finish of the traditional Christmas festivities and is the point at which you were intended to bring Christmas decorations down – albeit a few people leave them up until Candlemas.

How to celebrate Epiphany?

January 6, which is 12 days after Christmas in the Gregorian calendar, marks the finish of the Christmas holidays as well as the beginning of the Carnival season, which climaxes with Mardi Gras. In some European nations, for example, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, kids dress as the three kings and visit houses. In their roles as the kings or wise men, they sing about Jesus’ birth and give proper respect to the “king of kings”. They are remunerated with commendation and cookies.

Dia de los Reyes Magos is the Latin American festival of Epiphany. In numerous Latin American nations, it is the three wise men and not Santa Claus who bring gifts for children. Children compose letters to the wise men revealing to them how great they were and what gifts they want. In France Le Jour des Rois (the Day of Kings), at times called the Fête des Rois, is praised with parties for children and grown-ups. The galette des Rois, or “cake of kings”, features these festivals. This cake is round and flat, cut into the pantry, covered with a white napkin and carried into a dining room.

Children in Spain fill their shoes with straw or grain for the three kings’ horses to eat and place them on balconies or by the front door on Epiphany Eve. The next day they discover cookies, sweets or gifts in their place. The “three kings” make an entry in numerous urban communities in Spain on Epiphany Eve, joined by military bands and drummers in medieval dress.

What’s Open or Closed on Epiphany?

Epiphany is a public holiday in nations, for example, Austria, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland, Ethiopia (yet on an alternate date that fluctuates every year), parts of Germany, Greece, Italy, Slovakia, Spain, and Uruguay. It’s not a public holiday in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States (except the US Virgin Islands where it is a public holiday).