CELEBRATING EPIPHANY

 RHYS BOWEN:  Since today is going to be such a stressful one for many of us in the US (and if you don't know why I'm not going to tell you). I thought I'd focus on calmer and more meaningful subjects.

Today, January 6, is the Feast of the Epiphany in the Christian tradition. It is the day when the three kings/wise men/magi came to visit the baby Jesus, having followed a star to the stable where he was born. It is symbolic of all the nations coming to realize the importance of this birth.  It is a big feast in all branches of the Christian religion, celebrated more in other countries than in the US.

We were once in Mexico City for Christmas and on January 6 the streets were full of men going around in threes, wearing three kings masks--great big masks, handing out candies to children. 

We have a French friend who always makes a gateau du roi (a king cake) in which there is a tiny plastic baby baked inside. In other cultures its's an almond, a little less gruesome than potentially swallowing a baby. Whoever has it in their slice is blessed for the coming year.

In England the evening before Epiphany is Twelfth Night, the official last night of the Christmas festivities. In days of yore there would have been feasting for all twelve days (remembering that the diets were pretty plain for the rest of the year so that things like raisins, sugar, and especially goose or turkey were absolute luxuries, enjoyed once a year). 

And a small side note of interest. The Partridge in the pear tree in the old song of the Twelve Days of Christmas is a miss-heard translation. The French word for partridge, is une perdriche. . So the song really says A partridge (une perdriche). which I suppose sounds like a pear tree??

Epiphany is the day when the Christmas decorations are supposed to come down. I remember being in Germany once as a girl and on Twelfth Night they let the candles on the tree burn right down until they died one by one and the room was in darkness. So symbolic.

Mine are usually put away before this as we head out to Arizona the first week in January. This year mine are staying up until January 20.  I wonder why? Actually I've been enjoying the twinkling lights around my living room on gloomy evenings. I may even leave them up until Valentine's Day and then hang hearts on the tree.

I really feel that we lack heritage and tradition so much in the US. Our Christmas is all about presents and Santa Claus. We don't have the lovely tradition of Guadalupe. We don't have luminarias for most of the country. Or Saint Lucia with her crown of candles. We don't have men in masks handing out candy today. This is what I love about Europe and why I am drawn back so frequently. I love being in a place whose roots go back to medieval times and whose traditional celebrations are an essential part of life. 

So do you have any traditions for this day in your cultural heritage? And I don't know if you can read the words on my irreverent drawing...