God’s manifestation to the world

This Sunday, the Church celebrates the Fest of the Epiphany of the Lord. Traditionally known as “Three Kings’ Day,” it would be celebrated on January 6, marking the last day of the 12 Days of Christmas. But it has much more meaning than just three royalties arriving in folklore clothes, bringing strange gifts that seem useless to the Holy Family!
 
Epiphany comes from the Greek word epiphaneia, which means “appearance” or “manifestation” of Jesus to the world. We are celebrating God’s revelation of himself to us in Christ. Since the kings arriving from the East are not Jewish, there is already a hint that Jesus’ mission will extend to all people.
 
The arrival of the three kings is reported only in the Gospel of Matthew: “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the East came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’…
 
“After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route” (Mt 2:1-2; 9-12).
 
Each of the gifts has a symbolic meaning and manifests Jesus’ kingship. Frankincense was used for worship in the Temple (until now, it is a significant part of the incense, which emphasizes Christ as the High Priest).
 
Gold was reserved for royalties, therefore, for Christ the King. Myrrh was used to anoint dead bodies and interpreted as a precursor for Jesus’ death for the sake of truth.
 
There are several traditions around Epiphany (and traditionally, El Día de los Reyes is in Mexico and other Latin American countries the day children receive gifts).

Here are other traditions that are linked to this day:
Baking or eating a King’s Cake (Rosca de Reyes): A round cake filled with cinnamon, candied fruit and a plastic figure of Jesus. The person who finds the doll in the cake must provide the next King’s Cake.

 Marking a door lintel: A priest blesses chalk, which families then take home to mark the door frame with the year and the initials C+M+B, meaning Christus Mansionem Benedicat (May Christ bless this house) –  not Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, though it matches the names of the three kings, too.
 
Blessing the home: A pastor or family member may bless the home with holy water.
 
Winter swimming: Participants dip themselves three times in cold water to symbolize spiritual rebirth and wash away sins.