Epiphany
The epiphany (by etymology, from the Greek επιφάνεια meaning 'manifestation') is a religious event. For many cultures, epiphanies correspond to revelations or apparitions where prophets, shamans, witch doctors, oracles or astronomers interpreted visions beyond this world.
It is also a Christian festival in which Jesus takes on a human presence on earth, that is, Jesus "makes himself known".
Introduction
The term epiphany can be understood, according to Giacomo Cannobio, in the Bible of the Seventy, as a translation of the concept of the “glory of God”, which indicates the traces of their passage or, to simplify, their presence.
In the New Testament, in the late Pauline letters, it refers to the entry of Christ into the world, presented as that of the emperor coming to take possession of his kingdom (in Latin adventus, hence the time of Advent as a preparation for Christmas). From this meaning, the term was used in the East to indicate the manifestation of Christ in the flesh and then, from the 9th century, to designate the feast of the revelation of Jesus to the pagan world. This is the party that is still celebrated on January 6th.
In the Bible narrative, Jesus made himself known to different people and at different times. But the Christian world celebrates three events as epiphanies, namely:
- The epiphany before the Magi of the East (as reported in Matthew 2, 1-12), which is the traditional celebration of January 6 (or Sunday between January 2 and January 8).
- The epiphany to St.John the Baptist on the Jordan River, which is celebrated on the following Sunday (seasing between 9 and 13 January or Monday oscillating between 8 and 9 January, if the Epiphany takes place on 7 or 8 January).
- The epiphany to his disciples and the beginning of his public life with the miracle in Cana in which he begins his public performance, which is commemorated two Sundays later, the II of Ordinary Time, or between Monday and Saturday, being 6 January.
Actually, the most celebrated epiphany party is the one that corresponds to January 6 of each year in which the three wise men, according to tradition (in the translations of Protestant Bibles, and currently in the latest translations of Catholic Bibles, produced in ecumenical and interdenominational collaboration, the adjective «wise» is mentioned)[citation required ] named Gaspar, Melchor and Baltasar, who appear from the east to adore the first manifestation of Jesus Christ as a child, offering three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh (each symbolizing of these three gifts: majesty, sacredness and perpetuation before death). In reality, the Bible does not speak of the number of magicians, or wise men, nor of their names. It has been the later tradition that has identified their number and names. The remains of the magi, according to Catholic tradition, would rest in the Cologne Cathedral in Germany.
The date of January 6 coincides in some cases with the Christmas celebration of some Eastern churches, such as the Armenian Church, since they still follow the Julian calendar) in their liturgical calendars.
Origins
The Epiphany is one of the oldest Christian liturgical festivals, instituted at the end of the III century and throughout the IV in the various Eastern churches. Long before, other festivities of the same name had been celebrated on that date by various pagan cults, as was the case in Greece on January 6 in honor of Dionysus and in Alexandria (Egypt, where he possibly came from) on the night of January 5. to January 6 to commemorate the birth of Aion or Aeon, a fact recounted by the Christian author Epiphanius in the IV century.
In the fifteenth century in Florence there was the Compagnia dei Magi or Compagnia della Stella, one of the most important congregations in the city, protected by the Medici, who had a particular devotion to the magi (they dedicated the Cappella dei Magi in their palace –with frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli– and the Adoration of the Magi by Fra Angelico in the chapel of Cosme the Elder in the convent of San Marcos). This brotherhood imitated every three years (since 1447 every five) the journey of the Magi through the streets of Florence, one of the most sumptuous festivities in the Tuscan city.
Three Kings Day
In some countries, this day it is traditional to give gifts to children commemorating the presents that the Magi brought to the Child Jesus, according to the Gospel of Matthew. This gospel mentions that some magi followed a bright star to adore and bring gifts to the Child Jesus.
According to tradition, Gaspar, Melchor and Baltasar (according to certain beliefs they represent Europe, Asia and Africa, respectively) arrived on a horse, a camel and an elephant (or three camels depending on the country) bringing with them gold, frankincense and myrrh
Customs by region
Spain
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In Spain, the tradition is for children to write a letter to the Magi and send it days before Epiphany. On this day, popularly known as Twelfth Night (from the night of January 5 to January 6), the desired roscón de Reyes that contains a bean is consumed. Since ancient times (this tradition can be traced back to Roman times), the one who found it was the king of the gathering (read El carnaval, by Caro Baroja). At present, the empire of commercial houses has imposed that a surprise in the form of a figurine corresponds to the crown, punishing the person who receives the bean to pay for the roscón.
In many places it is also a tradition to leave something to eat and drink (usually some liquor or wine, and sweets) to the Three Kings and their camels. The next day the dishes appear empty, and in their place are the gifts.
The day before, there is a procession of the Three Wise Men in different places and cities in Spain, where the magicians appear with the gifts that they will offer to the children that night.
Before going to sleep, a shoe of each person in the house is placed in a row, and the Kings put the gifts of each one next to the corresponding shoe.
America
In Costa Rica, on December 25, the baby Jesus is placed in the manger and the Three Wise Men approach them, pretending that they have already arrived to leave their offerings. On January 6, the day of the Epiphany, the Three Wise Men wear themselves going backwards as if they were already leaving. Traditionally, on February 2, the mangers are removed until next year.
It is said that the founder of Lima (Peru), Francisco Pizarro, gave the nascent capital the magical name City of Kings because it coincided with the date on which the Three Wise Men headed for Belén, like the governor and his companions, were searching the sandbanks between Lima and Pachacámac for the most suitable place to establish the new capital. Whether this story is true or not, the truth is that every January 4th, three mounted policemen dressed as wizards from the East ride through the center of the city carrying three offerings that they will deposit in the nativity scene (nativity scene) that the municipality makes next to the your institutional location. The custom in Peru of the celebration of the Three Wise Men has, however, fallen into disuse, being replaced by another. In the interior of that country and in some areas of Lima, it is customary to celebrate the Bajada de Reyes on the same day. It consists of a small celebration while the nativity scene is disassembled and stored for next Christmas. Some people celebrate with neighbors and relatives, and even some private institutions have adopted this celebration.
In almost the entire region, on the night of January 3, the little ones put a letter to the three Wise Men inside their shoes under the Christmas tree before going to sleep, and in this way let the children know Three Kings how many children live in that house. In Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay, on the eve of Three Kings, children cut fresh grass and put it in a shoebox along with water so that the camels of the Three Wise Men have food throughout of his journey. As in Spain, the next day the food and drink have disappeared, and in their place the gifts appear.
Although many families give their children gifts at Christmas, Three Kings Day continues to be one of the most important traditions.
The ritual begins in the afternoon or at dinner time. The family shares a delicious rosca, the bread is made with orange blossom and butter, decorated with crystallized fruits (Rosca de Reyes in Mexico, Argentina and Uruguay).
In Mexico and Guatemala, inside the bagel is one or several small figures in the shape of a child that represents the baby Jesus. Whoever finds the baby Jesus in his cut of the bagel must prepare a party on February 2, Candlemas Day, offering tamales and atole. On that day the child God of birth is presented to the temple in a basket festooned with candles.
In Chile, Three Kings Day is not celebrated, that day is known as Black Easter, because in colonial times slaves were given that day off. Today the day of the Epiphany in Chile is considered the end of Christmas, and people put away the Christmas tree and decorations. However, the main Epiphany celebration (and the most popular in the country) is the festival of the Child God of Sotaquí, a traditional religious festival that is attended by thousands of faithful and lasts for four days, with the Day 6 is the most important, where a procession with numerous brotherhoods of religious dances takes place in the small town of Sotaquí.
In Colombia, in the city of Baranoa, Atlántico, every Three Kings Festival there is a staging of the epiphany of the Three Kings and their journey until they reach Bethlehem to adore Jesus, this is called the Loa of the Holy Kings Magicians and is a centuries-old tradition that has been celebrated uninterrupted for more than 145 years, a play that has been declared Cultural Heritage of the department of Atlántico and is undergoing a bill in the Colombian Congress to declare it Cultural Heritage of the Nation.
Iconography
The epiphany has been represented many times in art, usually under the name Adoration of the Magi.
Note
Traditionally the feast of the Epiphany is celebrated on January 6, but different episcopal conferences celebrate this feast on the second Sunday of Christmas, ranging from January 2 to 6. If Christmas falls on Monday, Holy Family on December 31, the Solemnity of Saint Mary, Mother of God on Monday, Epiphany is celebrated on January 7, that is, the 3rd.er Christmas Sunday. If Christmas falls on a Sunday and likewise the Solemnity of Saint Mary, Mother of God, it is celebrated on the 3rd. er Christmas Sunday, that is, January 8.
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