Epiphany (holiday)
Epiphany (/əˈpɪfəni/ ə-PIF-ə-nee), or Eid al-Ghitas (Arabic: عيد الغِطاس),[4] also known as "Theophany" in Eastern Christian tradition,[5] is a Christian feast day commemorating the visit of the Magi, the baptism of Jesus, and the wedding at Cana.[6]
This article is about the Christian feast day. For other uses, see Epiphany.Epiphany
Baptism of Jesus, Three Kings Day, Denha, Little Christmas, Theophany, Timkat, Reyes
- In Eastern Christianity: commemoration of the Baptism of Jesus only
- In Western Christianity: commemoration of the Adoration of the Magi, with subordinate commemorations of the Baptism of Jesus and the Wedding at Cana
- January 6 (Gregorian calendar)
- January 19 (Gregorian equivalent of Julian calendar January 6)
Annual
In Western Christianity, the feast commemorates principally (but not solely) the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child, and thus Jesus Christ's physical manifestation to the Gentiles.[7][8] It is sometimes called Three Kings' Day, and in some traditions celebrated as Little Christmas.[9] Moreover, the feast of the Epiphany, in some denominations, also initiates the liturgical season of Epiphanytide.[10][11]
Eastern Christians, on the other hand, commemorate the baptism of Jesus (but it is also called Epiphany) in the Jordan River, seen as his manifestation to the world as the Son of God.[6] The spot marked by Al-Maghtas in Jordan, adjacent to Qasr al-Yahud in the West Bank, is considered to be the original site of the baptism of Jesus and the ministry of John the Baptist.[12][13]
The traditional date for the feast is January 6. However, since 1970, the celebration is held in some countries on the Sunday after January 1. Those Eastern Churches which are still following the Julian calendar observe the feast on what, according to the internationally used Gregorian calendar, is January 19,[14] because of the current 13-day difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars.[15] The Alawites and the Middle Eastern Christians also observe the feast on January 19.[1][2][3]
In many Western Churches, the eve of the feast is celebrated as Twelfth Night (Epiphany Eve) on January 5.[16][17] The Monday after Epiphany is known as Plough Monday.[18]
Popular Epiphany customs include Epiphany singing, chalking the door, having one's house blessed, consuming Three Kings Cake, winter swimming, as well as attending church services.[19] It is customary for Christians in many localities to remove their Christmas decorations on Epiphany Eve (Twelfth Night),[20] although those in other Christian countries historically remove them on Candlemas, the conclusion of Epiphanytide.[21][22][23] According to one seventeenth-century tradition, it is inauspicious to remove Christmas decorations before Epiphany Eve and those who do not remove them on that date have the opportunity take them down on Candlemas.[21][24][25]
Etymology and original word usage[edit]
The word Epiphany is from Koine Greek ἐπιφάνεια, epipháneia, meaning manifestation or appearance. It is derived from the verb φαίνειν, phainein, meaning "to appear".[26] In classical Greek it was used for the appearance of dawn, of an enemy in war, but especially of a manifestation of a deity to a worshiper (a theophany). In the Septuagint the word is used of a manifestation of the God of Israel (2 Maccabees 15:27).[27] In the New Testament the word is used in 2 Timothy 1:10 to refer either to the birth of Christ or to his appearance after his resurrection, and five times to refer to his Second Coming.[27]
Alternative names for the feast in Greek include τα Θεοφάνια, ta Theophánia "Theophany" (a neuter plural rather than feminine singular), η Ημέρα των Φώτων, i Iméra ton Fóton (modern Greek pronunciation), "The Day of the Lights", and τα Φώτα, ta Fóta, "The Lights".[28]
Music[edit]
Classical[edit]
Johann Sebastian Bach composed in Leipzig two cantatas for the feast which concluded Christmastide: