rkp@druwa.att.com (Russell Pierce) (01/24/91)
I recently put out a request for how people celebrate Epiphany and the traditions of Epiphany. Here is a long summary of what I received. I suggest you save this file and read it later for your enjoyment and amusement. I have deleted submitters' names to protect the innocent. :-) -------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, this might need to be taken with a pinch of salt... (but it's true). I was brought up in England in a family not claiming to be Christian. Agnostic is I think the correct term. Now, I'm not sure whether it was the parents' or the kids' idea but every 6th of Jan we kids would make a silly hat for our dad to wear and he was supposed to wear it all day long. As I said before, I have absolutely no idea where this tradition originated or actually how old it is but given that many seemingly 19th century nursery rhymes do in fact have much older and nobler origins than the first sight suggests (and deeper meanings). The festival we called "Daddy's hat day" and it was real popular with us. I tend to think that my dad heard of the tradition from one of his many friends and decided it would be fun to implement it in our family, but there are maybe not many others celebrating the day in quite this manner. This could be some vestige of an older tradition, all but died out in modern society. There are certainly plenty of other weird customs that have survived through many ages and often lost their original meaning. .....And later, this same person sent me this: Regarding my previous letter just a thought, Silly hats = party hats = crowns (???) Some mundane things have unusual significance. Folk customs may preserve a truth older than pious censorship. Iceland is a remarkable place where at least three major religious / spiritual cultures have existed (rarely more than two at a time until the recent influx of mysticism / eastern esotericism etc.). It is sometimes difficult to see where customs and traditions originate. A 19th century Icelander (who was a fairy-teller) is the main traceable source for the story of the "Yule-Lads" when he immortalized them in graphic poetry. The modern folklore has the following scenario for Yule-tide: Starting on the night before the 12th of December the Yule-Lads come down from the mountains, one for each successive day until the eve of the 24th. The 23rd of December is a feast held sacred to the Bishop Thorlak (one of two or three Icelandic saints recognized by the rest of Christendom). The feast was probably originally some kind of solstice celebration, incorporated as were many others into the Roman Catholic (and later other) church traditions. For most Icelanders today the only significance of this day is that shops are generally open until 11.30 in the evening (and banks in order to take in the days proceeds just before midnight. People can sell whatever the law permits in the streets without requiring a special license, and the shopping streets are literally thronging with people. I have also seen street musicians and other artists at this time. The Yule-Lads are descended from ogres and trolls and are a thieving bunch, each with their own special preference. However, well-behaved children who put a shoe out on the windowsill can expect to find some goodies hidden there on each of the 13 mornings. Many people attend church on the 24th of December (early evening) and I think the exchange / sharing of Christmas presents is usually the same evening. Christmas itself is a family time. Starting with the evening following the 25th of December and for 13 such evenings the Yule-Lads depart one per day until the evening of January the 6th. As night draws on the 13th Yule-Lad will have already left and it is a time of great celebration (good riddance to the motley bunch of them). It is customary for people to light large fires and stay up late singing and dancing, for this is also when all the elves celebrate the departure of the unbidden guests and have such a good time of it that they can sometimes be noticed by normal mortal men on just such a night. Other way-farers that might show up over the Christmas month include: Gryla, the "mother" of the Yule-Lads may be wandering near men if it is a very bad winter. She eats little children who haven't been good enough, though it is more usual for her husband to go afoot and collect the bad children in a sack. The Yule-Cat (probably Gryla's pet) also eats children, and goes roaming on cold winter nights. This is no ordinary cat by size, and is probably a memory of the now extinct European lion (Gryla is commonly believed to live somewhere in Russia). BTW, modern-day Santa-Claus has also been adopted into the "shopping culture" and is referred to as *The* Yule-Lad. (!!??). Since the Roman (Gregorian) calendar was introduced at the turn of last century the Icelanders have also celebrated "new years eve/day" in much the same way and the same times as the rest of the "civilized" west. Before then the calendar had a more agricultural basis and was more or less synchronized with the other old calendars which we know of, in that the months line up with the seasons such that equinoxes and solstices fall between different months. Now, I'm sorry if I have deviated from what I intended to say, but let's get back to the point. Epiphany is held as one of the major Christian feasts. The choice of the date is no accident, as it was expressly selected to replace an older feast of great importance, just as Christmas itself was chosen to replace the Roman Saturnalia feast. Some of the Christmas story as portrayed by the modern Christianized world is just as much story-telling as the more obvious caricatures in the surviving Icelandic folk tradition. As one conjecture, there's a possibility of the story of the Yule-lads going back to the time when most of Europe was under Roman occupation under the Caesars. Let's paint a scenario of Roman officials seizing consumables from the peasants (sometimes by taxes, and otherwise by force) so that there is plenty for the Roman gentry to enjoy at the feast of Saturnalia. After the feast things are (relatively) back in order, so the time of celebration for righteous people when the oppressor's hand lies lighter on their backs. Maybe it doesn't hold water but let's try another one: Saturnalia was offensive to the people of faith and the celebration which became Epiphany was a "Thank God it's over" one. The giving of gifts to secure service is a favorite trick of oppressor types. The modern day Santa Claus has more in common with Herod the child-killer than any St. Niklaus who may have loved children. Entice the children with goodies and lead them away with intent to kill (physically in history, spiritually in our day and age). "Here children, would you like some sweets, will you come and ride with me in my sleigh". Sorry, I digress again. There was nothing inherently evil about the old feasts which used to be celebrated more widely. Some may have become corrupted or misunderstood by the time Christianity did what it could to eradicate what was left of their true meaning (not necessarily intentionally, but then by ignorance of these matters). I believe it can be productive to one's faith to reflect on these true meanings which have mostly become obscure (as with the original teachings and their purpose for mankind - I mean with deep inner meditation / contemplation), for the church of this world has done much to alter the public view of the truth. Jesus Christ was not born into our world to bring any new religion or teaching. He came into the world to put us back in touch who had become exiles and outcasts. He worked to reestablish the 'one true faith' (I shall not attempt to qualify this statement further, for I am aware of its connotations) which had existed pretty universally prior to the control of this world being usurped by an imposter, and continued to exist in fairly isolated pockets ever since. I hope I have not bored you by my fumblings with words. "Epiphany" is passed once again. Myself, I'm inclined to believe that Jesus was born to Mary in September or October, and the wise men of ancient Persia would have arrived close to the time of birth as recorded. May you prosper and continue to grow in the coming year, ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In the West (I don't know about the East), Epiphany is always on January 6, and the Baptism of the Lord is the first Sunday after Epiphany. This year, Epiphany falls on a Sunday, and Baptism is on the next Sunday (the 13th). In my old congregation in New Mexico, we celebrated Epiphany with an evening service as long as I can remember. I don't know what they are doing this year. I imagine they will not have a separate service, since Epiphany falls on a Sunday. Epiphany also celebrates the availability of the Gospel to the Gentiles (like me :-)). The word means "appearance". Epiphany is when we celebrate the revelation of the divine Christ to the Gentiles (represented by the magi). That was usually the sermon topic. In my new church in Boston, there doesn't seem to be any tradition of a separate Epiphany service. (Obviously, we will have one this year, so its kind of tough to know.) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Here's my $.02 (haven't read this group for a while, too late for this year!): I've heard that many cultures (Latin, in particular) refer to Jan. 6 as "King's Day", and many kids get some if not all of their Christmas gifts on that day. I just saw on the news that the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on Jan 6. Although we do exchange gifts on Christmas day out of (beloved) family tradition, we keep one gift hidden, to be given on Epiphany. When our daughter is old enough we'll explain to her that we're honoring her as the kings honored the Christ child --- to me, Christmas is all about the love we have for the children in our lives. Since we also take the tree down and put away the Christmas decorations on that day, the gift is also called a 'tree present', as it is often found hidden somewhere in the tree. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- On the night of Jan. 6th some friends and I always present each other with one small gift, after the three kings. We've done this for the past 7 or so years as a remembrance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Russell, Naturally I'm getting around to answering your query on Epiphany long after the fact (though there is always next year). In the Orthodox Church, Epiphany (which we often call Theophany, the showing forth of God) is purely devoted to Christ's baptism, which is seen as a central revelation of the Trinity. The principal hymn of the day shows how we think of it: When thou, O Lord, wast baptized in the Jordan, The worship of the Trinity was made manifest. For the voice of the Father bare witness to Thee, And called Thee His beloved Son. And the Spirit in the form of a dove, Confirmed the truthfulness of Thy Word. O Christ, our God who hast revealed Thyself And hast enlightened the world, Glory to Thee! The main custom associated with the day is the blessing of water, in which a series of prayers recalling the various revelatory meanings of water in the Bible are said over water to bless it. In the following days, this water is then used to bless the homes of the faithful. It's a rather busy season for a priest, who ends up visiting the homes of the people in his parish. In each home, a brief prayer service is conducted and the people walk from room to room singing the hymn above, sprinkling holy water. In an Orthodox village, there may be a big procession through everybody's house; here there is more commonly a series of small parties in people's homes one evening after another. In Greece, the holy water is usually shaken from bunches of fresh basil (whose name comes from the Greek word basileus, meaning king). The Slavic countries, whose fresh basil was under 3 feet of snow in January, never developed this custom. So what about the 3 kings, you may ask? They have already played a major role at Christmas. Indeed, the central hymn of our Christmas liturgy centers almost entirely on the magi. This hymn, which is sung many times during the liturgy, says Thy nativity, O Christ our God Has shown to the world the Light of Wisdom. For by it those who worshiped the stars Were taught by a star To adore Thee, the Sun of Righteousness, And the know Thee the Orient from on high. O Lord, glory to Thee! When you first read this, it seems an odd thing to center on. I haven't actually chased down the history of this hymn, but I would guess that it is pretty early (not surprising; a lot of our music is 1500 years old; some is older; some is newer). It's got to be, since it really is an anti-pagan polemic. The great pagan intellectuals, the magi, who set out to follow a mere star, have been led (by a star, for God turns the wisdom of the nations to His own Wisdom) to find instead a Sun. And this Sun is not the physical sun celebrated by the pagans on Dec. 25, their Feast of the Invincible Sun. It is the Sun from on high, not the sun appearing in the east. So, the Church says to the pagans, even your own wise men have shown that we've got it right. Well, there it is. I don't know exactly how this all looks from a Lutheran perspective (do I remember that you're Lutheran?). Most of it goes back not only well before the Reformation, though, but also well before the East-West split; so I suppose it is part of the common heritage of the Church. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ And finally, traditions we celebrated on Epiphany. Before the service began, we met outside and burned some of the greens from our church decorations and sang several Christmas Carols. We then went into the church for the service. On the altar were the letters M B C to represent the three kings, Melchoir, Balthasar, and Caspar. Incense was burned during one part of the service to bless the sanctuary (this is the only time of the year we ever cense the church). During communion, all children received communion bread. In the bread were three beans. The three children that got the beans came up for the recessional hymn and were crowned our "Three Kings". The following Epiphany Traditions were distributed at our Epiphany service. You might get a kick out of some of these. St. Stephen's Bread -- Loaves of bread, baked in the shape of horseshoes, are brought to the tables. The Feast of St. Stephen is celebrated the day after Christmas, December 26. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, met his death by stoning. An old English custom was to go "Stephening" on this day - to call on the minister unexpectedly and then eat all his bread and cheese and drink all his wine. Since the parishioners were uninvited guests, many ministers wanted to have this custom discontinued. Because St. Stephen is the patron saint of horses, St. Stephen's day is the day to decorate your horse, ride it to the church and have it blessed by the minister, and then ride three times around the church. Horses' food - mostly hay and oats - is also blessed on this day. The kernels of the blessed oats are then thrown at each other. Water and salt may also be blessed on this day and kept by farmers to be fed to their horses in case of sickness. The bread is baked in horseshoe shape to honor St. Stephen. Drinking the Toast of St. John the Evangelist -- You may serve waissail or other fruit punch, and may include the explanation that follows: December 27th is the feast of St. John the Evangelist. St. John is known, in legend, as the apostle "whom Jesus loved". One story about St. John is that he was cast into boiling oil and escaped unharmed. He was then banished to work in the mines, where he was inspired to write the Book of Revelation. Another legend says he was challenged by a pagan priest to drink a cup of poison. After making the sign of the cross, he drank the cup and suffered no ill effects. On this third day of Christmas, Scandinavians devote time to visiting friends, drinking their wine and eating little cakes. In Norway, wine casks and cider kegs are brought to the church to be blessed, and everyone drinks to the grace of St. John for strength and good health in the coming year. The head of each table should raise his or her mug of punch to the person seated at his or her left, saluting with "I drink you the love of St. John". That person responds with "I thank you for the love of St. John" and passes the toast along to the next person. The Feast of the Holy Innocents -- December 28th is the Feast of the Holy Innocents and is the unluckiest day of the whole year. You may recall that when the wise men visited King Herod in search of a newborn king, Herod tried to deceive the wise men by asking them to return to him when they found this infant king so that he too could pay homage. However, after presenting their gifts to the Christ child, the wise men avoided another encounter with Herod. He was so threatened that, in a rage, Herod ordered all of the children two years old or younger to be killed. He hoped to kill this infant king, but Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt with their son, Jesus. Holy Innocents Day is celebrated so that no one will forget Herod's terrible deed. One tradition of this day is to whip all the children while they are still in bed to insure their good health for the coming year. Because this is such an unlucky day, no one should begin a new task or make any promises. Above all, no one should be married on this day! To recall the lack of joy on this day, bland foods such as gelatin or pudding are eaten in silence. First Footing Feast -- Meat and vegetables are served. On New Year's Eve, families would set their table with bread and salt and silently wait for the "first-footer", the first guest of the evening to set foot in their house. If this guest was tall and dark, the family would be blessed with good luck for the year; but if the "first-footer" had read hair or flat feet, he/she could only be a sign of misfortune. After this mysterious visitor arrived, he or she would eat the bread in silence and then wish the family a good year. Upon receiving these tidings, the family would sit down to a hearty meal of beef, baked potatoes, and vegetables, to begin the New Year. Twelfth-Night Cake -- Serve one piece to each person. Twelfth-night, or Epiphany, marks the end of the Christmas season and the beginning of the carnival season which lasts until Lent. The word Epiphany means to "show forth" or "make manifest". It is on this day that we recall the visit of the wise men from the East, their adoration of the Christ Child, and the disclosure of the Good News to the waiting world. The twelfth-night dinner would include all the foods mentioned previously: bread, wine, gelatin salad, and meat and potatoes. The most popular tradition with twelfth-night is the twelfth-night cake in which are hidden special prizes. If you find a bean in your cake, you will be one of the three kings who will reign over the twelfth-night contests (three beans are hidden). If you find a coin in your cake, you will make your fortune in the coming year. If you find a ring in the cake, you will be married before the year is out. If you find a paper clip, you will be successful in business. Twelfth-Night Contests -- To add levity to the evening, simple contests are held, with the three kings acting as judges. Before announcing the name of the event, ask for one volunteer from each table. Some suggestions are: biggest smile, best whistle, biggest wind-bag (blowing up a balloon the fastest), biggest yawn, etc. Epiphany House Blessing -- The head of the family leads all in prayer: "O heavenly Father, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, be present in this house that all who live here, being kindly affectioned to one another, may find it a haven of blessing and peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen." This prayer is followed by the Lord's Prayer. The lintel above the front door of the house may be marked with the year's date bracketing the initials of the three kings, Caspar, Balthazar, and Melchoir. Crosses between each letter of the first initial of the names and the dates insures God's protection for the house in the year ahead. The inscription would look like this (! represents the cross): 19 ! C ! B ! M ! 91 The Festival of Tree Burning -- may conclude the evening. Twelve persons are appointed as apostles and given burning candles. They put their candles to the Christmas tree (situated for a bonfire), saying individually, "I am (Matthew, James, John, Jude, Nathanial, Bartholomew, James, Peter, Andrew, Thomas, Simon, Phillip)", and then together, "The peace of the Lord be yours this year." As the tree burns, the group sings such Christmas songs as "Go Tell it On the Mountain", "The First Noel", "We Three Kings", "Joy to the World", etc. --------------------------------------------------------------------- That is all. I hope you enjoyed these. -- Russell Pierce 1200 W. 120th Ave. ...!att!druwa!rkp AT&T Westminster, CO 80234-2795 (303) 538-2023
djohnson@ucsd.edu (Darin Johnson) (01/26/91)
>I hope I have not bored you by my fumblings with words. >"Epiphany" is passed once again. Myself, I'm inclined to believe that Jesus >was born to Mary in September or October, and the wise men of ancient Persia >would have arrived close to the time of birth as recorded. >On the night of Jan. 6th some friends and I always present each other with >one small gift, after the three kings. We've done this for the past 7 or so >years as a remembrance. --- These are two items that may be myths. That is, the common creche scene of three wise-men around the manger. First, there is no mention of the number of magi who visited, only that there were three gifts. I remember sermons that suggested Herod became fearful/jealous of the messiah, not because three men came to seek him, but because MANY came, most likely with servants, etc. Second, it is most likely that the magi arrived long after the birth. There are two things that indicate this. The family was visited in a house, and Herod ordered the deaths of more than just newborns. If the star had appeared at the moment of birth, then the travel time itself would be enormous. Of course, neither of these have terribly great theological implications, but may be useful for coffee chat material :-) -- Darin Johnson djohnson@ucsd.edu - Political correctness is Turing undecidable.