On Epiphany we celebrate three wonders: The Magi offer the Lord gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The Lord comes to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. The Lord turns water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana.
Epiphany means "appearance" and "revelation" and "manifestation." In the gospel stories of Epiphany, we hear that God appears in creation. God is revealed in a star, in the waters of a river, in the shining skies, on the wings of a dove, in stone jars of everyday water.
In some places, an Epiphany tradition is to have a party in honor of the visit of the Magi. A special King's cake-in which a bean or coin has been hidden-is served. The lucky person who finds the bean or coin in her or his slice of cake is crowned queen or king for the evening!
The monarch has two major responsibilities. One is to host the Mardi Gras party before Lent begins. The other is to lead the blessing of the home for the new year. The numerals of the year are written with chalk over the front door. The initials of the legendary names of the Magi are added-Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. The home is dedicated to hospitality.
In a sense, at Epiphany all of us are queens and kings. In baptism we were anointed to be God's royal people. Now the star shines over us, we who are baptized, we who bear the name of Christ.
January 6 is the ancient day of Epiphany. In Europe and Latin America and in many of the Christian churches of North America, Epiphany is celebrated on its ancient day.
Many Christians have special traditions for Twelfth Night, 5 January. In some countries, children receive gifts on this day to remind them of the gifts given to Jesus by the Magi. In Puerto Rico on the eve of January 6 (which they call. "Three Kings Day"), children fill their shoes with hay for the camels and horses (and in some places, even elephants) of the Magi. The next day the hay is gone and the children find the shoes filled with candy and toys.
In Italy a fairy godmother named Befana leaves people surprises. (Her name comes from the word Epiphany.) A cranky fellow named Rodolfo joins her, threatening to punish people who need to mend their ways. Befana had wanted to join the Magi in their search for the newborn Christ, but she lost courage at the last minute. So now she goes house to house in search of Christ. She sees Christ in everyone she meets, and she teaches us to do the same.
(Adapted from Companion to the Calendar by Mary Ellen Hynes for Liturgy Training Publications).