Wow! I cannot believe it has been a year since I started this blog! I have written about an entire year of holidays and traditions now and it has been such a blessing to get to start incorporating them into my marriage with my wonderful Aaron. It's crazy how far one can go in a year and how much you can learn. When I read my early posts, I think that there is a lot of room for improvement. One of the big things I realized with the celebration and incorporation of religious traditions and practices is that if you make these big over-the-top productions, chances are you will probably not do them and you will miss the mark entirely for what you are trying to celebrate. This year I want to re-visit my old posts and focus on making them realistic, attainable, affordable, and as always meaningful.
Please refer to my first post on Epiphany here as it is the first Holiday we have come to in 2014.
What really struck me as I dove a little deeper into the celebration of Epiphany this year is that the wise men were specifically chosen to be non-religious gentiles, not faithful Jewish men. I love that right from the start of his life, God wanted people to know that Jesus was for everyone. Race, cultural background, religious affiliation all aside- everyone could be a part of this miracle.
Celebration: Jesus is revealed as the light of the nations
Historical background:
The feast of the Epiphany, which was kept in the East and in certain Western Churches before being observed in Rome, seems to have been originally a feast of the nativity; January 6, for those churches where it was kept, was the equivalent of Christmas (December 25) in the Roman Church. The feast was introduced at Rome in the second half of the sixth century and became the complement and, so to say, the crown of the Christmas festival.
Epiphany means manifestation. What the Church celebrates today is the manifestation of our Lord to the whole world; after being made known to the shepherds of Bethlehem He is revealed to the Magi who have come from the East to adore Him. All Christian tradition has seen the Magi as the first fruits of the Gentiles; they lead in their wake all the peoples of the earth, and thus the Epiphany is an affirmation of universal salvation.
Western Christians have traditionally emphasized the "Revelation to the Gentiles" mentioned in Luke, where the term Gentile means all non-Jewish peoples. The Biblical Magi, who represented the non-Jewish peoples of the world, paid homage to the infant Jesus in stark contrast to Herod the Great (King of Judea), who sought to kill him. In this event, Christian writers also inferred a revelation to the Children of Israel. Saint John Chrysostom identified the significance of the meeting between the Magi and Herod's court: "The star had been hidden from them so that, on finding themselves without their guide, they would have no alternative but to consult the Jews. In this way the birth of Jesus would be made known to all."
The earliest reference to Epiphany as a Christian feast was in A.D. 361, by Ammianus Marcellinus, St. Epiphanius says that January 6 is hemera genethlion toutestin epiphanion (Christ's "Birthday; that is, His Epiphany")
Biblical basis:
Matthew 2:1-12
2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.
Ways to Celebrate:
-Craft ideas for kids and youth:
**Make a star to put above your bed representing that you too are following the star that will lead you to Jesus just like the Wise men did!
**Make crowns to wear during the feast meal
**Make candle holders for the candles to be used at the feast meal
**Give candles and a special prayer card to your family or neighbors to celebrate the spreading of light
-Fun family ideas:
**Bake a King's Cake! Bake a cake, then hide a tiny baby inside. The person who finds the baby in their cake gets to wear a crown to represent the kings that found Jesus in the manger, and gets to make three wishes to represent the three gifts that were brought to Jesus. The cake shows that just as the Magi made a careful search for the child king upon his birth, so we should acknowledge that an important component of our faith involves seeking and searching for the Lord in unlikely places (like a cake!)
**Clean out your closets! Encourage children to be a light unto others as Christ is a light for us and share the things they don't need with others. Take a load to a nearby salvation army or other shelter.
**Each family member can draw the name of a patron saint out of a hat to be their saint for the year. By focusing on the intersession of one saint, a person can really see the light that that saint brings to their life.
**Gifts can be exchanged to represent the gifts brought from the Magi- It is important, however, to ensure that the exchange of gifts on the solemnity of the Epiphany retain a Christian character, indicating that its meaning is evangelical: hence the gifts offered should be a genuine expression of popular piety and free from extravagance, luxury, and waste.
**Bake star cookies to decorate to represent the guiding star!
-Religious traditions:
**Candle lighting- Epiphany is a festival that lends itself well by theme and tradition to fun family activity. Before beginning the evening meal on Twelfth Night (Epiphany Eve), use the following service. There is one white candle lit in the center of the table. There is an unlit white candle at each place.
All: (sing) "Shine, Jesus, Shine" or "We Are Marching in the Light of God (Siyahamba)"
Parent: God, who by a star led wise men from far away to see the child Jesus; draw us and others to him, so that, praising you now, we may in life come to meet you face to face; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Parent: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Jesus is the light of the world.
Child: A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Child: Neither do people light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick. And it gives light to all that are in the house. (Each person lights his/her personal candle from the Christ candle.)
All: (Holding candles high) Let our light so shine before people that they may see our good works and glorify God.
All: Thank the Lord, for he is good and his mercy endures forever. Amen.
**Bless the household- Another tradition of Epiphany invokes the Magi’s blessing upon the household. The following prayer can be said standing at the threshold of the door, "Peace be with this house and all who dwell in it, and peace to all who enter here. In keeping the feast of Epiphany, we celebrate the Magi’s search for the infant king, the Christ child’s appearing to the world, and the peace and hospitality shared between the Magi and the Holy Family. The family then “chalks the door” with a series of marks.The markings include letters, numbers, and crosses in a pattern like this: 20 † C † M † B † 13. The numbers correspond to the calendar year (20 and 13, for instance, for the year 2013); the crosses stand for Christ; and the letters have a two-fold significance: C, M, and B are the initials for the traditional names of the Magi (Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar), but they are also an abbreviation of the Latin blessing Christus mansionem benedicat, which means, “May Christ bless this house.” A final blessing is then read, "May this home in the coming year be a place where Christ is pleased to dwell.May all our homes share the peace and hospitality of Christ which is revealed in the fragile flesh of an infant. Amen."
How we celebrated:
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2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.
Ways to Celebrate:
-Craft ideas for kids and youth:
**Make a star to put above your bed representing that you too are following the star that will lead you to Jesus just like the Wise men did!
**Give candles and a special prayer card to your family or neighbors to celebrate the spreading of light
-Fun family ideas:
**Bake a King's Cake! Bake a cake, then hide a tiny baby inside. The person who finds the baby in their cake gets to wear a crown to represent the kings that found Jesus in the manger, and gets to make three wishes to represent the three gifts that were brought to Jesus. The cake shows that just as the Magi made a careful search for the child king upon his birth, so we should acknowledge that an important component of our faith involves seeking and searching for the Lord in unlikely places (like a cake!)
**Clean out your closets! Encourage children to be a light unto others as Christ is a light for us and share the things they don't need with others. Take a load to a nearby salvation army or other shelter.
**Each family member can draw the name of a patron saint out of a hat to be their saint for the year. By focusing on the intersession of one saint, a person can really see the light that that saint brings to their life.
**Gifts can be exchanged to represent the gifts brought from the Magi- It is important, however, to ensure that the exchange of gifts on the solemnity of the Epiphany retain a Christian character, indicating that its meaning is evangelical: hence the gifts offered should be a genuine expression of popular piety and free from extravagance, luxury, and waste.
**Bake star cookies to decorate to represent the guiding star!
**Candle lighting- Epiphany is a festival that lends itself well by theme and tradition to fun family activity. Before beginning the evening meal on Twelfth Night (Epiphany Eve), use the following service. There is one white candle lit in the center of the table. There is an unlit white candle at each place.
All: (sing) "Shine, Jesus, Shine" or "We Are Marching in the Light of God (Siyahamba)"
Parent: God, who by a star led wise men from far away to see the child Jesus; draw us and others to him, so that, praising you now, we may in life come to meet you face to face; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Parent: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Jesus is the light of the world.
Child: A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Child: Neither do people light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick. And it gives light to all that are in the house. (Each person lights his/her personal candle from the Christ candle.)
All: (Holding candles high) Let our light so shine before people that they may see our good works and glorify God.
All: Thank the Lord, for he is good and his mercy endures forever. Amen.
**Bless the household- Another tradition of Epiphany invokes the Magi’s blessing upon the household. The following prayer can be said standing at the threshold of the door, "Peace be with this house and all who dwell in it, and peace to all who enter here. In keeping the feast of Epiphany, we celebrate the Magi’s search for the infant king, the Christ child’s appearing to the world, and the peace and hospitality shared between the Magi and the Holy Family. The family then “chalks the door” with a series of marks.The markings include letters, numbers, and crosses in a pattern like this: 20 † C † M † B † 13. The numbers correspond to the calendar year (20 and 13, for instance, for the year 2013); the crosses stand for Christ; and the letters have a two-fold significance: C, M, and B are the initials for the traditional names of the Magi (Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar), but they are also an abbreviation of the Latin blessing Christus mansionem benedicat, which means, “May Christ bless this house.” A final blessing is then read, "May this home in the coming year be a place where Christ is pleased to dwell.May all our homes share the peace and hospitality of Christ which is revealed in the fragile flesh of an infant. Amen."
How we celebrated:
Epiphany was a lot of fun! I cannot wait to expand on the traditions we started this year and add even more excitement one day when there are little ones running around. On the eve of Epiphany, we used the dinner service described above and I made cards for us to follow along (below). My favorite part of this was probably singing "We are Marching in the Light of God." I told Aaron that we're gonna make our kids march around the dinner table as they sing this one day hehehe. We then lit candles as described and shared a delicious meal of homemade pizza!!! On Epiphany, Aaron and I each drew a Saint's name out of a bag to be our Saint for the year. This will help us focus on the light that one person can bring and focus on ways we can be that light for others. For our Epiphany gifts, we each got a book about the Saint we had drawn. Aaron baked a yummmmmyyy chocolate cake with homemade PB icing and hid an almond inside to represent the Magi's search for the baby Jesus. Since I am not the baker in the family, I made a homemade crown. Our friend Emily found the almond, and her husband had to grant three wishes for her! We tried to bless our house, but realized we don't own any chalk haha...next year!
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