Feast of the Epiphany - Two traditions
This beautiful Three Kings tapestry was displayed in the art exhibit at the Topsham Maine Public Library:
Practically all Christians recognize the Feast of the Three Kings as the celebration of the Epiphany. In my father's Ukrainian Greek Catholic tradition, this was the feast day when families exchanged gifts. This tradition is consistent with the Biblical story about how the three kings made the the presentation of gold, frankincense and myrrh, to the infant Jesus, after the they traveled east, following a brilliant star, to find the Nativity.
"Star of Wonder, Star of Night, Star with Royal Beauty Bright" is the hymn we sang during the Celebration of the Epiphany, at Sunday's Jan. 6th, Mass. In the Eastern Rite and the Roman Rite, the Epiphany is explained somewhat (but not entirely) differently. In my mother's Roman Catholic Rite, the Epiphany was a celebration of when the Three Kings visited Jesus in the Bethlehem manger. In my father's Eastern Rite church, the Feast of the Three Kings was a bigger religious celebration than was Christmas Day, because it signified how the Three Kings recognized the divinity of Jesus.
As my father would always say, the Eastern Rite "gets it". Yes, he subscribed to the precedence of the Eastern Rite. In fact, Epiphany means coming to an awareness of the divinity of Jesus Christ, as described in this article:
An article published in the Catholic News Agency confirms my father's point of view:
Spasibo to Daddy.
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| Needlepoint Tapestry by Jill A. Vendituoli |
Practically all Christians recognize the Feast of the Three Kings as the celebration of the Epiphany. In my father's Ukrainian Greek Catholic tradition, this was the feast day when families exchanged gifts. This tradition is consistent with the Biblical story about how the three kings made the the presentation of gold, frankincense and myrrh, to the infant Jesus, after the they traveled east, following a brilliant star, to find the Nativity.
"Star of Wonder, Star of Night, Star with Royal Beauty Bright" is the hymn we sang during the Celebration of the Epiphany, at Sunday's Jan. 6th, Mass. In the Eastern Rite and the Roman Rite, the Epiphany is explained somewhat (but not entirely) differently. In my mother's Roman Catholic Rite, the Epiphany was a celebration of when the Three Kings visited Jesus in the Bethlehem manger. In my father's Eastern Rite church, the Feast of the Three Kings was a bigger religious celebration than was Christmas Day, because it signified how the Three Kings recognized the divinity of Jesus.
As my father would always say, the Eastern Rite "gets it". Yes, he subscribed to the precedence of the Eastern Rite. In fact, Epiphany means coming to an awareness of the divinity of Jesus Christ, as described in this article:
An article published in the Catholic News Agency confirms my father's point of view:
While the hustle and bustle of Christmas ends for many people on Dec. 26, throughout Christian history Christmas lasts for twelve days – all the way until Jan. 6.
This feast marking the end of Christmas is called “Epiphany.”
In the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, Epiphany celebrates the revelation that Jesus was the Son of God. It focuses primarily on this revelation to the Three Wise Men, but also in his baptism in the Jordan and at the wedding at Cana.
In the Eastern rites of the Catholic Church, Theophany – as Epiphany is known in the East – commemorates the manifestation of Jesus' divinity at his Baptism in the River Jordan.
While the traditional date for the feast is Jan. 6, in the United States the celebration of Epiphany is moved to the next Sunday, overlapping with the rest of the Western Church’s celebration of the Baptism of Christ.
However, the meaning of the feast goes deeper than just the bringing of presents or the end of Christmas, says Fr. Hezekias Carnazzo, a Melkite Catholic priest and founding executive director of the Virginia-based Institute of Catholic Culture.
“You can't understand the Nativity without Theophany; or you can’t understand Nativity without Epiphany.” The revelation of Christ as the Son of God – both as an infant and at his baptism – illuminate the mysteries of the Christmas season, he said.
This feast marking the end of Christmas is called “Epiphany.”
In the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, Epiphany celebrates the revelation that Jesus was the Son of God. It focuses primarily on this revelation to the Three Wise Men, but also in his baptism in the Jordan and at the wedding at Cana.
In the Eastern rites of the Catholic Church, Theophany – as Epiphany is known in the East – commemorates the manifestation of Jesus' divinity at his Baptism in the River Jordan.
While the traditional date for the feast is Jan. 6, in the United States the celebration of Epiphany is moved to the next Sunday, overlapping with the rest of the Western Church’s celebration of the Baptism of Christ.
However, the meaning of the feast goes deeper than just the bringing of presents or the end of Christmas, says Fr. Hezekias Carnazzo, a Melkite Catholic priest and founding executive director of the Virginia-based Institute of Catholic Culture.
“You can't understand the Nativity without Theophany; or you can’t understand Nativity without Epiphany.” The revelation of Christ as the Son of God – both as an infant and at his baptism – illuminate the mysteries of the Christmas season, he said.
Meanwhile, this wonderful Galette des rois recipe was published in The New York Times. I'm planning to create this traditional celebration of the Theophany.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019114-galette-des-rois?emc=edit_ck_20190106&nl=cooking&nlid=7114448720190106&te=1
In both religious traditions, the Epiphany ends the Christmas season.
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