The wait is over; the Twelve Days of Christmas have concluded with a bang, and the Feast of the Epiphany is here.

Epiphany marks the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus, lying in his manger in Bethlehem, and Christ’s manifestation to the Gentiles. It signifies that He was more to be more than the King of the Jews, but the King of Kings, who would promise that “many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.”

Many European countries celebrate Epiphany as Three Kings’ Day, while Latin American countries celebrate it as Día de Reyes or Dia dos Reis – the Day of Kings.

The Magi, better known as the three kings or the three wise men (or both), brought gifts to Bethlehem for the baby Jesus on Epiphany, and so a second round of gift-giving is traditional on Three Kings’ Day – a good time to surprise children with a gift they hoped for on Christmas but did not receive.

For this reason, the day is also known as Little Christmas. Women and children had reason to be cheerful on Little Christmas in Ireland, where it was also known as Women’s Christmas. Men would traditionally take over women’s work around the house, and cook a nice dinner of roast goose, to give mother a rest. Anathema to modern progressives, but perhaps worth a punt if your own household has been living the trad life.

It is also traditional to eat king cake, which varies by region and often has a small figure of the baby Jesus hidden inside it, with the person who finds it in their slice winning a prize.

CUSTOMS. 

A plethora of customs are associated with Epiphany. Many families have their homes blessed, either by a priest or the father of the household, who sprinkles each room with holy water and recites prayers asking for “Peace be to this house” and “all who dwell herein,” while recalling how “From the east came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasures they offered precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial.”

It is also traditional to chalk the door with the numbers of the year, sandwiched around the message C ☩ M ☩ B ☩ – representing both the names of the three kings (Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar) and the Latin phrase Christus Mansionem Benedicat, meaning “May Christ bless this house.”

For Epiphany we encourage your household to adopt the “Chalking the Door” tradition. Write with chalk or create a sign to place above your door. Use the message 20+C+M+B+24. “CMB" is for the Latin Christus Mansionem Benedicat, “May Christ bless this home.” pic.twitter.com/Qgo5mRfPrx

— St. Patrick Catholic Church (@StPatrickCatho1) January 4, 2024

Poland does a particularly good job of celebrating Three Kings Day, with people dressing as the wise monarchs and other biblical characters and holding hundreds of parades all over the country. Often the principals ride camels and hand out candy to children, while acting out scenes from the Nativity story.

An even more bracing Epiphany traditions, practiced in Bulgaria, Greece, and other countries where Orthodox Christianity has a strong presence, is the Diving of the Cross.

A consequence of the fact that Epiphany, or Theophany, can mark not only the visit of the Magi to Bethlehem but also Christ’s baptism in the River Jordan, the Diving of the Cross involves a cross being thrown into a river or sea after it has been blessed – as Christ blessed the Jordan when he was immersed in it – and various young lads diving in and racing to retrieve it from the chilly waters. The tradition is alive and well in America, too!

THE END? 

This, I’m afraid, brings us to the end of our series. If you really can’t stand to say goodbye to the holiday season, however, there is one way to keep the train going – and that’s to celebrate Old Christmas on January 7th tomorrow, starting the cycle all over again!

Most Orthodox Christians will be doing so, as their churches mostly still prefer the Julian Calendar, or Old Calendar, to the Gregorian Calendar introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in the 1500s.

Old habits die hard, and many Western Christians continued celebrating not just Old Christmas for hundreds of years after the Gregorian Calendar was introduced, but even “Old Twelvey”– the original date of Twelfth Night, on what is now January 19th.

If you have the stamina for that, more power to you. In the meantime, have yourself a Merry Little Christmas!