The Feast of the Epiphany takes place on January 6 every year.
It was the one event where Jesus was paid great tribute by great men, Gentiles from faraway lands who did not know Him. This signifies that He came for all people, not just for the twelve tribes of Israel.
It took the Magi many months crossing difficult terrain to reach the Christ Child.
The liturgical season of Epiphany in 2017 runs from this day through to Transfiguration Sunday on February 26. Ash Wednesday follows on March 1 this year and marks the beginning of Lent.
The Lectionary reading and Psalm from the Old Testament for Epiphany prophesied of Jesus Christ and of rulers from far away nations who would pay Him homage, bearing gifts:
Isaiah 60:1-6
60:1 Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
60:2 For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you.
60:3 Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
60:4 Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.
60:5 Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
60:6 A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD.
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
72:1 Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son.
72:2 May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice.
72:3 May the mountains yield prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness.
72:4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor.
72:5 May he live while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
72:6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth.
72:7 In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
72:10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render him tribute, may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts.
72:11 May all kings fall down before him, all nations give him service.
72:12 For he delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper.
72:13 He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy.
72:14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life; and precious is their blood in his sight.
I wrote about the Epistle and Gospel for this feast day last year. The readings are the same every year, so do not be dissuaded by seeing Year C in the title:
Epiphany — Epistle (Ephesians 3:1-12)
Epiphany — Gospel (Matthew 2:1-12)
Other helpful past posts on this feast day are below:
A Lutheran pastor reflects on the Epiphany
More Lutheran reflections on the Epiphany
Remembering the Epiphany in chalk
Why the Epiphany is so important — a Lutheran perspective
A Lutheran perspective on the Magi
What to remember about Epiphany
Churchmouse Campanologist 
16 comments
January 5, 2017 at 10:07 pm
goldenbrodie
Thoroughly enjoyed this read. Thanks so much.
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January 6, 2017 at 12:45 pm
churchmouse
You’re most welcome. Thank you for taking the time to let me know.
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January 5, 2017 at 10:54 pm
OIKOS™-Redaktion
Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
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January 6, 2017 at 12:45 pm
churchmouse
Thank you for the reblog. Delighted that you and your readers liked the post.
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January 6, 2017 at 9:45 am
Lecroix
I read your “Epiphany and king cake – a history”, Churchmouse and I have a question. Why Catalonia? The tradition is observed all over Spain, from north to south, east to west, not just in Catalonia…
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January 6, 2017 at 10:24 am
churchmouse
I took that from the Delish link in the preceding paragraph. Therefore, I would be grateful if you can tell me if this is accurate:
‘Within Spain, the tortell varies from region to region, but most prepare a bread-like cake. In Catalonia, the region most famous for the city of Barcelona, theirs is a circular pastry filled with marzipan cream and punctuated with candied fruit like cherries and oranges. It also contains not one, but two prizes. Whoever finds the king figurine gets to wear the crown, while the one who finds the fava bean has the misfortune of paying for the cake!’
Will be happy to amend on your advice. Thanks in advance.
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January 6, 2017 at 10:54 am
Lecroix
It sounds absolutely accurate to me. But the region of Asturias, about 500 miles to the northwest has the same identical circular pastry, some with marzipan cream, some not and punctuated with the same candied fruit like cherries and oranges. Also, there are two prices as well, with the same purpose. It’s the same all over Spain…
I just checked wikipedia, in English and the bias is there too! The article leans towards Catalonia. The article in Spanish sets the record straight, though. Hmm, what an unexpected discovery 🙂
Of course there’s variety of Roscones, but calling a Roscón a tortell, does not make it any more catalonian.
I lived in New Orleans for years and I was delighted to find that the king cake tradition is there too (same circular cake with candied fruits) no doubt carried there by Spaniards and French people (the city was part of France and part of Spain, at different times). To the best of my knowledge, it’s not a particularly catalonian thing.
Thank you for the interest.
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January 6, 2017 at 12:43 pm
churchmouse
You’re most welcome. Thank you for the information.
I have now updated the post and have taken Spain out of the paragraphs under the Delish link. It’s now above, just after the NOLA bit. It now reads:
‘This tradition also continues in other countries.
‘My reader Lecroix commented that New Orleans no doubt acquired their cake from former governing countries France and Spain, where it is known as a Roscón (pl. Roscones) or, in Catalonia, a tortell. The Spanish version is basically the same around the country, although price variations exist based on ingredients. For example, the Asturias region:
has the same identical circular pastry, some with marzipan cream, some not and punctuated with the same candied fruit like cherries and oranges. Also, there are two prices as well, with the same purpose.’
Your quote is in blockquote, btw. Please let me know if it should be revised further.
Lucky you, living in NOLA. You must have some great memories!
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January 6, 2017 at 11:44 am
¡Caramba con el Roscón de Reyes! | Contra la ley "antitabaco"
[…] hace un rato en el excelente cuaderno de Churchmouse Campanologist, leyendo un poco sobre la tradición del Roscón de Reyes en el mundo. Y me llamó la atención lo […]
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January 6, 2017 at 12:47 pm
churchmouse
Thank you for the reblog — greatly appreciated.
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January 6, 2017 at 12:55 pm
Lecroix
Thanks for the mention, Churchmouse, I very much appreciate it. You are certainly very thorough.
Yes, I have great memories from NOLA, maybe the greatest. It’s like nothing else, something special.
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January 6, 2017 at 1:03 pm
Lecroix
You are welcome! I’m always very impressed by the thoroughness of your work and the massive amount of sources you use.
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January 7, 2017 at 11:06 am
georgeallen2007
Great read, as usual, churchmouse. And thank you kindly for the scriptures and references. Help me, isn’t Epiphany considered Christmas in the Orthodox Church as well as 12th day of Christmas? May God bless you and yours and readership, and a prosperous 2017 to all. In the love of Christ, Allen.
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January 7, 2017 at 1:40 pm
churchmouse
Thanks very much, Allen. I greatly appreciate your good words.
In response to your question, my impulse was to say ‘yes’ without looking. Having checked, though, it appears many Orthodox churches now celebrate Christmas on December 25 as we do. For them, Epiphany is when they remember Christ’s Baptism, not the Magi. Other Orthodox churches still consider Epiphany as Christmas.
It should be noted that the Orthodox churches still celebrate Easter 13 days after Christian churches do.
The following links are Orthodox. Emphases mine below.
1/ http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith7070
The change from their Old Calendar to the New began in 1923:
‘In May of 1923, however, an “Inter-Orthodox Congress” was convened at Constantinople by the then Ecumenical Patriarch, Meletios IV. Not all Orthodox Churches were in attendance. The Churches of Serbia, Romania, Greece, and Cyprus were; the Churches of Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem, although invited, were not; the Church of Bulgaria was not invited. Several issues were under discussion at the congress, one of which was the adoption of the New Calendar. No unanimous agreement was reached on any of the issues discussed. Several of the Orthodox Churches, however, did eventually agree, though not all at the same time, to adopt the New Calendar. These were the Churches of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Greece, Cyprus, Romania, Poland, and most recently, Bulgaria (1968); on the other hand, the Churches of Jerusalem, Russia and Serbia, along with the monasteries on Mt. Athos, all continue to adhere to the Old Calendar.
‘The result of this situation is unfortunate indeed. The Orthodox Churches which have adopted the New Calendar observe Christmas with the other Churches of Christendom on December 25; the Orthodox Churches which have not adopted it celebrate Christmas 13 days later, on January 7. The former celebrates Epiphany on January 6 and by the latter on January 19. And so it is with all the great feasts of the Christian Calendar but one. Easter, the feast of feasts, continues to be calculated by all Orthodox Churches to the dates of the Old Calendar. Consequently, all Orthodox Churches observe the event of Christ’s Resurrection on the same day, regardless of when the rest of Christendom does … ‘
2/ http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith8383
This link gives the history of Epiphany as the feast of light and as the time when early Christians were baptised together on this day. This took place in the earliest centuries of the Church when Christians had to worship underground and in secret. This was long before the Christian/Orthodox schism. There was a pagan feast day on the same day, so Christians worshipped together instead of engaging in revelry:
‘… the 4th century is the golden link which connects the underground life of the church with its later course on the surface of the earth. The celebrations of Epiphany and Christmas, the writing of divine liturgies, the formulation of faith in the Creed, and so many other incidents are permanent foundations which took place during the 4th century and which developed as flowers springing from roots which had existed beforehand …
JANUARY the 6th is recorded in the annals of the Christian Church as an ancient celebration of an event in the life of Jesus Christ which is considered as the beginning of His official dedication to His Divine Mission in the presence and manifestation of the Triune Christian God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. This celebration is called Epiphany, a combined Greek word which is derived from epi: to and phainein: to show, to show forth, to shine upon; the noun is epiphaneia, meaning appearance, manifestation. This Feast included the Birth of Jesus Christ (that is, the Incarnation of the Logos), His Baptism (that is, His dedication in a human manner), and the appearance of the Father and the Holy Spirit-the first and only united appearance of the true Christian God …
‘The 6th of January was designated as the feast day of Epiphany because on that day was the birthday of Aeon, the patron god of Alexandria. The Gnostics had designated Christ as one of the Aeons in their elaborate system.
‘In opposition to these heretics, it appears that the Orthodox Church acted to protect its followers from this falsification by defining the Theophany of the Holy Trinity, that is, the appearance of God during the Baptism of Christ … In all probability, Epiphany was introduced to Gaul, with its Greek name, by St. Athanasius (336), coming from Alexandria.
‘It is known that in the East the Nativity of Christ was celebrated together with Epiphany on the 6th of January, while in the West the Nativity was celebrated before Epiphany became known to them. This fact seems to account for the difference in the content of Epiphany as given by the East and the West. That is, in the East, the celebration centered in the Theophany of Christ witnessed by the other two Persons of the Holy Trinity and in connection with the Birth of Christ. The Armenian Monophysites, who have preserved the ancient tradition of combining the Nativity with Epiphany, still celebrate the Nativity of Christ on the evening of January 5th and Epiphany with the Sanctification of the Waters on the 6th of January …
‘IN THE EAST, the Nativity, after being introduced from the West, was designated to be observed also on December 25th, probably by the heretic Arians in Antioch. This happened about fifty years after Epiphany was designated. In fact, St. Basil and St. Gregory had attempted to differentiate between the two celebrations by imposing the name “Theophany” on the Birth of Christ, December 25th, and keeping the name “Epiphany” for the celebration on the 6th of January. However, they were unsuccessful.
‘In the Orthodox Church, in contrast to the heretics, the celebration of Epiphany took on an elaborate appearance for two reasons: first, in opposition to the corresponding celebrations of the heretics and pagans; and, secondly, due to the meaning of the feast day itself, as the worship of the true God of the Holy Trinity, the catechumens came to be baptized on this day,
‘Seberian, Bishop of Gavalon, 18 remarks that in the Church there was great abundance of light on this feast day because the Christians carried lighted candles. The same is mentioned by Ephraim the Syrian in his hymn to Epiphany (9th verse). Because of this abundance of light, the feast of Epiphany became known as “The Feast of Lights”. (Steph. 105a). Gregory of Nazianzos delivered his well-known homily “On the Lights” 19 saying, “yesterday celebrating on the bright day of the lights…today we shall speak on baptism.” Since that unforgettable celebration the event has been called the “Feast of Lights.”
‘Ephraim, Chrysostom 20 and others relate that the faithful, before the baptism of the catechumens, received some of the sanctified water which they took to their homes. This service took place on the evening or, rather, at about midnight, of January 5th. And until today the Eastern Church retains this Vesper service with the Sanctification of the Waters, which, however, is performed on the morning of January 5th. In the Church, the Vespers is always considered as the beginning of the next day.
‘For this reason, the Vespers of January 5th is actually the beginning of the feast-day of the 6th of January.
‘It was the night before the 6th of January, in the early centuries of the Christian Church, when hundreds of neophytes were waiting their turn to step down, some five steps, into the water and to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Holding burning torches in their hands, men and women of various streams and walks of life were together. Their figures were illuminated from within, from their conscience, after their training in knowing the true God and practicing their faith in worshiping Him and helping their brethren in His name.
‘With the prevailing of the baptism of infants, there is no order of catechumens and consequently the practice of baptism at midnight of January 5th has been eliminated. The sanctification of the Waters, though, has prevailed throughout the centuries; it is now a custom that, on the one hand, the people take sanctified Waters to their homes and on the other hand, some of the Priests visit the homes of their parishioners and reverently sprinkle the homes or fields with sanctified Water. (January 5th) …’
Hope this helps.
May God continue to bless you, too, Allen!
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January 7, 2017 at 1:48 pm
georgeallen2007
Bless you, churchmouse, for your detailed and valuable reply. It’s a keeper. In Christ’s love, Allen.
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January 7, 2017 at 1:57 pm
churchmouse
Thank you!
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