Epihany or 12th Day of Christmas

It is January 6th and the thermometer registers 39 degrees.  What happened to "as the days begin to lengthen, the cold begins to strengthen".  Don't know, but I'll take this warm weather now, and hope it doesn't mean draught for the summer!

So it is the last day of the 12 days of Christmas. When I mention this to most folks, they don't know what I'm talking about. But in Spanish speaking countries and the Greek and Eastern Orthodox churches, Epiphany is celebrated as part of the 12 days of Christmas. It is also known as the day the Wise Men came to bring gifts to the baby Jesus, the time of his baptism, and the time when he became known to the gentiles.

Since we seem to start celebrating Christmas the day after Thanksgiving and keep going until December 25, I can't imagine continuing the celebration on to January 6th!  I love Christmas and honor the season, but six weeks of celebrating would wear a little thin.  There is a point of diminishing returns for just about everything - speaking of celebrating you understand, not worship. Still, the historian in me loves learning about the various Christmas customs around the world. So, if you didn't know about January 6th, now you do.

Want to learn more? Go to http://www.crivoice.org/cyepiph.html.

The Three Wise Men bearing gifts for the baby Jesus