January 6th, 2008 Epiphany

One of the oldest Christian celebrations takes place today, January 6. Epiphany, also known as the Twelfth Day, Old Christmas Day and Twelfthtide marks the visit of the Three Wise Men (or Magi) to Bethlehem. Also celebrated on this day is Christ's baptism in the River Jordan by John the Baptist and the miracle of Cana, in which Jesus changed water into wine.

What does "epiphany" mean?

From the Greek, it means "an appearance or manifestation especially of a divine being" (Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary). Capitalized, it refers to the church festival. Christmas and Epiphany are sometimes considered the first and second nativity, the latter referring to the manifestation of Christ to the Magi (Holidays and Anniversaries of the World).

What are some of the religious ceremonies of Epiphany?

The main feature of the Feast of Epiphany is The Solemn Blessing of Water, to commemorate Christ's Baptism in the Jordan. There is also the blessing of the homes which, theologically speaking, constitutes and invocative blessing, meaning that by his prayer and by the sprinkling of the Holy Water the priest invokes God?s protection upon the home and those living in it. (http://www.byzantines.net/feasts/epiphany.htm)

I've often heard this day called "Ukrainian Christmas". Why is this so?

There are over 50 million Ukrainians in the world and this is the second largest nation following the old Julian calendar in their churches. Since the Julian calendar was slowly getting out of step with the seasons, a new calendar was introduced by Pope Gregory Xiii in 1582. The established date for Christ's date of birth was set in the fourth century as December 25, with falls on January 6 of the modern calendar. (http://www.infoukes.com/culture/traditions/christmas/)

What are some Ukrainian Christmas traditions?

Sviata Vechera or Holy Supper is the central Christmas Eve celebration. The dinner table sometimes has a few wisps of hay on the embroidered tablecloth as a reminder of the manger in Bethlehem. When the children see the first star in the eastern evening sky, which symbolizes the trek of the Three Wise Men, the Sviata Vechera may begin. After the holy supper the family often sings Ukrainian Christmas carols. Christmas Day opens for Ukrainian families with attendance at church. Ukrainian churches offer services starting before midnight on Christmas Eve and on Christmas morning. (http://www.infoukes.com/culture/traditions/christmas/)

Where can I find traditional Ukrainian Christmas recipes?

Look in the classic book Traditional Ukrainian Cookery, by Savella Stechishin. The library also has The Best of Ukrainian Cuisine by Bohdan Zahny. The following web site has many links to traditional Ukrainian recipes: http://www2.uwindsor.ca/~hlynka/ukrecipe.html.

What other Epiphany traditions are there?

There's the King Cake tradition, popular in New Orleans and thought to have been brought to New Orleans from France in 1870. It is an oval-shaped, brioche-style bakery delicacy decorated in the three Mardi Gras colours of purple, green and gold, symbolizing justice, faith and power. In the past items such as coins, beans, pecans and peas were hidden inside the cake but the modern tradition has a small plastic baby (representing Christ) baked inside. Parties are held where the cake is served and whoever has the piece with the baby is to call "I've got the baby!" This person is the King or Queen of the party and is also obligated to host the next party and supply the cake (http://whatscookingamerica.net/Bread/KingCake.htm, http://www.neworleans.com/Festivals_-_Mardi_Gras_-_King_Cake/). For an easy version of the King Cake refer to the second web site listed above.


Sylvia Renaud, Head of Information Services