Merry Epiphany!

[Jules]

Celebrations anyone?

[Just Myself]

...Huh?

What exactly is Epiphnany?? Please elaborate.

Cheers,
JM

[crunkcourt]

Traditionally Christmas is 12 days, and Epiphany is the last day of Christmas. Many churches celebrate epiphany as the Sunday after Christmas. For Catholics this is an important feast day as well. I can't remember exactly what it is supposed to represent so if anyone cares to elaborate even more that'd be wonderful.

[Finchx0rz]

Ephiphany is celebrated as a feast day in the Catholic Church, though its celebration in America is not as major as it used to be. I was in the Catholic school system for seven years and it was barely mentioned.

[I am the Doctor]

Traditionally Christmas is 12 days, and Epiphany is the last day of Christmas. Many churches celebrate epiphany as the Sunday after Christmas. For Catholics this is an important feast day as well. I can't remember exactly what it is supposed to represent so if anyone cares to elaborate even more that'd be wonderful.

Epiphany is the celebration of the three wise men visiting Bethlehem after the birth of Christ. Since most Christmas nativity scenes show the 3 Wise Men, many assume that the 3 Wise Men visited on Christmas. If you visit a Catholic Church that has a nativity scene at Christmas, you'll notice that the three wise men are not present and won't be until the Epiphany.

The Epiphany feast day has been moved in recent years from its traditional feast day of January 6th to the closest Sunday in the Catholic Church.

[Kram Nebuer]

Epiphany is the celebration of the three wise men visiting Bethlehem after the birth of Christ. Since most Christmas nativity scenes show the 3 Wise Men, many assume that the 3 Wise Men visited on Christmas. If you visit a Catholic Church that has a nativity scene at Christmas, you'll notice that the three wise men are not present and won't be until the Epiphany.

WHOA! I never noticed that! I know at our church they don't put the baby Jesus out until Christmas, but I never noticed the thing about the Three Kings. Maybe they never waited which is why I didn't notice...hmmm, I guess it's too late to see if they do wait now!

[ichabod]

That's right Epiphany is here! Twelfth night is gone, time to get the Christmas decoration down!

[Jules]

Traditionally Christmas is 12 days, and Epiphany is the last day of Christmas. Many churches celebrate epiphany as the Sunday after Christmas. For Catholics this is an important feast day as well. I can't remember exactly what it is supposed to represent so if anyone cares to elaborate even more that'd be wonderful.

Epiphany is the celebration of the three wise men visiting Bethlehem after the birth of Christ. Since most Christmas nativity scenes show the 3 Wise Men, many assume that the 3 Wise Men visited on Christmas. If you visit a Catholic Church that has a nativity scene at Christmas, you'll notice that the three wise men are not present and won't be until the Epiphany.

Exactly. In fact, in my country, Epiphany is generally known as "It-Tre Re".

By the way, isn't it today that children in Italy get their Christmas presents as they have the custom of the Befana?

That's right Epiphany is here! Twelfth night is gone, time to get the Christmas decoration down!

Why today? Isn't the 6th January still in the Christmas Season? Shouldn't we take our Christmas decorations down tomorrow?

[Disney Duster]

Julian Carter, I noticed your signature, and I distinctly remember my religion teacher in Catholic High School (who was a priest) telling me it was okay to write Xmas because the X was I think Roman for Christ and even the Vatican used it, but unfortunately I can't remember his wording exactly.

Wikipedia did at least have this to say:

Christmas is sometimes shortened to Xmas, an abbreviation that has a long history. In early Greek versions of the New Testament, the letter ? (chi), is the first letter of Christ (???????). Since the mid-sixteenth century ?, or the similar Roman letter X, was used as an abbreviation for Christ.

But if your teachers have taught you differently...I guess you should listen to them, or ask them about it.

[Jasmine1022]

Julian Carter, I noticed your signature, and I distinctly remember my religion teacher in Catholic High School (who was a priest) telling me it was okay to write Xmas because the X was I think Roman for Christ and even the Vatican used it, but unfortunately I can't remember his wording exactly.

Wikipedia did at least have this to say:

Christmas is sometimes shortened to Xmas, an abbreviation that has a long history. In early Greek versions of the New Testament, the letter ? (chi), is the first letter of Christ (???????). Since the mid-sixteenth century ?, or the similar Roman letter X, was used as an abbreviation for Christ.

But if your teachers have taught you differently...I guess you should listen to them, or ask them about it.

I always knew there was a reason! my mom used to yell at me for shortening it to "xmas" and when i asked her why she was yelling, she told me it was because people that didnt believe in christ wrote it as "xmas", kind of like Xing christ out.

now i can tell her differently

[ichabod]

Why today? Isn't the 6th January still in the Christmas Season? Shouldn't we take our Christmas decorations down tomorrow?

Well January the 5th is the last last day (12th day) of Christmas. But Christmas celebration technically ends after Twelfth Night ( and since the night goes through into the early hours of January 6th (Epiphany). So technically Christmas ends when dawn breaks on January 6th.

[reyquila]

In Puerto Rico, kids get gifts on 25th and on the 6th of January, The Three Kings Day, so my kids were opening gifts this morning. The epiphany and the promises to the Three Kings are huge traditions in the Island, as important as Christmas Day.

[Dottie]

In Germany we get our gifts on Christmas Eve, but Epiphany, or as it is known here "Three-holy-kings-day" is still celebrated as a national hliday so everything is closed.

[Isidour]

Also,many latins and mexicans as I, we usually eat a cake that we call "rosca de reyes" or King´s cake
Is a tradition of ours that we eat this cake, but inside of it,there´s a little figure of a baby jesus, and whom ever gets this baby jesus have to pay a lunch on february 2nd

[crunkcourt]

Also,many latins and mexicans as I, we usually eat a cake that we call "rosca de reyes" or King´s cake
Is a tradition of ours that we eat this cake, but inside of it,there´s a little figure of a baby jesus, and whom ever gets this baby jesus have to pay a lunch on february 2nd

New Orleans has a similar tradition. Epiphany apparently starts the "Mardi Gras" season, and the bake king cakes, and whoever gets the baby jesus is traditionally supposed to bring the king cake to the party the next year.

[Isidour]

by the way, is it true that some wall-marts sold king cackes made by "bimbo"?