Dear Friends,

It is hard to believe that this upcoming Sunday will be our last of the Christmas Season this year. Monday, January 6th, is the Feast of the Epiphany and the official end of Christmastide. You would never think it today, but the Epiphany predates the celebration of Christmas on December 25th. And, in time it began to be known as “Little Christmas” and was the primary gift-giving holiday in Christendom. Which makes sense—when the Magi, also known as three Kings, visit the baby Jesus they bring him gifts. The evening of January 5th begins the vigil of the Epiphany, or, the twelfth night. It has been celebrated with revelry and immortalized by Shakespeare. But, if you are at all like me, you probably don’t do much to mark the day. However, that’s a shame because there a lot of interesting traditions to celebrate this holiday.

Chalk Blessing
It is a widespread tradition that Christians write some letters and numbers on the lintel of their door as a means of blessing their homes. The markings are made with chalk blessed by a priest. The year is marked along with the letters C, M, and B. For example 20 + C + M + B + 25. It is a way for us to remind ourselves and others that Christ is present in all aspects of our lives—and especially in our homes and in our daily interactions. The letters C, M, and B have a double meaning. They can refer to the Latin house blessing: Christus mansionem benedicat (May Christ bless this house). And/or it stands for the traditional names of the Magi: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. At Good Sam we will have blessed chalk and instructions for doing the blessing available to anyone who wants them on Sunday, January 5th, after each service.

Epiphany Gift
Just as the Magi brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the newborn Jesus, it is traditional that these gift-giving characters leave a final present at homes for people to open on Epiphany. Like with St. Nicholas, some people even put out shoes for the gifts to be placed in.

King (or Bean) Cake
A widespread Epiphany tradition is the baking of a King’s Cake. In medieval England this cake took the form of a fruit cake. In New Orleans it is a brioche cake, round, and decorated with sanding sugar in the colors of carnival. It seems as though there is a traditional style of King’s Cake for each country! In many places, though, it can be any kind of cake—although bundts seem to be popular (probably because they are already shaped like crowns). No matter the cake, hidden inside is a dry lima bean (or a small figurine). The lucky person that finds the hidden bean in their piece becomes the King (or Queen) for the day. In medieval times, this meant that poorer classes were able to reverse roles and become the Lords and Ladies of the manor, while the wealthy became servants. Since this practice isn’t relevant for our households today, many families have decided that the King or Queen gets to pick the meals, choose the bedtimes, and creates rules that everyone has to follow for 24 hours. In some places, the person who finds the bean/figurine also has the responsibility of bringing the King’s Cake for the following year. They also get a paper crown to mark the occasion.

Burning of the GreensAnother Epiphany tradition is to take down the decorations that were put up for Christmas. In particular trees, wreaths, garlands, and any other real greenery is gathered and burned.While a bonfire is always fun, the burning of the greens is meant to symbolize the light of Christ coming into the world and the brightness of the star followed by the Magi. It is also a very physical way of marking the end of the Christmas season.

There are far more traditions that are celebrated throughout the world to mark this great feast. I hope you will try doing at least one of these traditions at home this year to mark the coming of the Christ child in our midst and the recognition of his glory by the Magi.

Peace,