For centuries
church calendars in the East and the West have agreed that there are twelve days
of Christmas and they begin on Christmas Day and end on January 6.
The twelve days of Christmas end
with the Feast of Epiphany also called "The Adoration of the Magi" or
"The Manifestation of God." Celebrated on January 6,
it is known as the day of the Three Kings (or wise men/magi): Caspar, Melchior
and Balthasar. According to an old legend based on a Bible story, these three
kings saw, on the night when Christ was born, a bright star, followed it to
Bethlehem and found there the Christ-Child and presented it with gold,
frankincense and myrrh.
January 6, the last day of
Christmas, comes with it’s own traditions, rituals and symbols. Carolers are
going from house to house; in many homes the Christmas tree is taken
down and in some areas is burnt in a big bonfire. For the children this is an
especially joyous occasion because, associated with taking down the tree goes
the "plündern" (raiding) of the tree. The sweets, chocolate ornaments
wrapped in foil or cookies, which have replaced the sugar plums, are the
raiders' rewards.
The history of Christmas, (the
festival of the nativity of Jesus Christ,) is intertwined with that of the
Epiphany. The commemoration of the Baptism (also called the Day of Lights, i.e.
the Illumination of Jesus) was also known as the birthday of Jesus, because he
was believed to have been born then of the Virgin or reborn in baptism. In some
records Christmas and Epiphany were referred to as the first and second
nativity; the second being Christ's manifestation to the world.
In the fourth century, December
25 was finally adopted by the Western Christian Church as the date of the Feast
of Christ's birth. It is believed that this change in date gave rise to the
tradition of the "12 Days of Christmas." While the Western Christian
Church celebrates December 25th, the Eastern Christian Church to this day
recognizes January 6 as the celebration of the nativity. January 6 was also
kept as the physical birthday in Bethlehem. In the Teutonic west, Epiphany
became the Festival of the Three Kings (i.e. the Magi), or simply Twelfth day.
On the evening before Three
Kings, traditionally there were prayers, blessed dried herbs would be burnt and
their aromatic smell would fill the house. Doorways would be sprinkled with
holy water and the master of the house would write with chalk C + M + B and the
year above the house and barn door and say: "Caspar, Melchior, Balthasar,
behütet uns auch für dieses Jahr, vor Feuer und vor Wassergefahr."
("CMB, protect us again this year from the dangers of fire and
water.") C + M + B has traditionally been translated with Caspar, Melchior
and Balthasar, however, according to the Church it stands for "Christus
Mansionem Benedictat" (Christ bless this home).
The custom of the Star
Singers, reminiscent of the travel of the Three Kings is still very much
alive in Bavaria and Austria. Beginning with New Years and through January 6,
children dressed as the kings, and holding up a large star, go from door to
door, caroling and singing a Three Kings' song. For this they receive money or
sweets. Formerly the collected donations went to unemployed craftsmen and
veterans; today they go to a local Charities.
In the city of New Orleans, the Mardi Gras season begins on January 6th, also known to Christians as "Epiphany". As a symbol of the Holy Day of Epiphany, a tiny plastic baby is included with each King Cake. Place the baby inside of your King Cake, the person who gets the piece with the baby is traditionally supposed to supply the next King Cake.
The King Cake tradition is thought to have been brought to New Orleans from France in 1870. A King Cake is an oval shaped bakery delicacy that is rich in both flavor and history. The King Cake is decorated in the three Mardi Gras colors that have certain historical and symbolic significance. Purple symbolizes "Justice", Green stands for "Faith", and Gold for "Power". These colors were to resemble a jeweled crown honoring the Wise Men who visited the Christ Child on Epiphany. In the past such things as coins, beans, pecans and peas were hidden inside of the King’s Cake. Today, a small plastic baby is usually the prize. At a party the cake is sliced and served and each person looks to see if their piece contains the "baby". A chant of "I’ve got the baby!" means that that person is obligated to supply the next cake. In recent years legal liabilities have forced many bakeries to refrain from baking the baby inside of the cake.
FURTHER RESOURCES
· More on January 6 as
the original Christmas date and C + M + B. In English.
· An Internet Hotlist on Three Kings Day-Epiphany, is a holiday celebrated throughout the Hispanic world
· Home Page of the Sternsinger- Kindermissionswerk.
in German
· Heiligen Drei
Könige,der Stern, Epiphanias, Sternsinger, Dreikögsspiele, C+M+B+Jahr
· Dreikönig:
description and video clip: Glöcklerlauf im Salzkammergut am Vorabend zu
Dreikönig, Oberösterreich.
·
Dreikönigsnacht gilt als Rauhnacht. What are
Perchten and other wild creatures?
· Video Clip: Sternsinger
in Wien, um 1935. Österreich-Lexikon.
· Sternsinger und die drei
Weisen. Engelchens Weihachtsmarkt.
· The excellent
Epiphany
and Three Kings page from Graf Zeppelin Gymnasium.
· Erscheinung des
Herrn. Heilige Drei Könige und Sternsingeraktion
Von dem Bistum Aachen.
· Erscheinung
des Herrn/Dreikönigsfest (6. Jänner) and Dreikönigsaktion
website
· Short
description of the Sternsinger
in English and German
· Three
Kings Cake.Recipe from the German Information Center.
· Miscellaneous
: Volksbräuche, 3 Könige als Schutzpatrone, Dreikönigstreffen.
· Epiphany and the Three Wise
Men. Page from Canada in English.
· Bavaran Epiphany tradition
and a humorous take on C+M+B.
· Origins of Christmas music. Conduct searches
for "Caroling" and "Christmas Music"
· More on Church Calendars and
Holidays in Germany.
· Coellen: Reliquien der Heiligen Drei Könige
und das Kölner Stadtwappen.
· 750 Jahre Kölner
Dom: InterNationes - Landeskunde Online. Dreikönigstag, Lesetexte, Übungen.
· Russian Christmas (Epiphany): InterNationes - from BethanyRose aged 7, United States, Dec 97 .
· Bibliography on the Three Kings and Volkstümliche Reliquienverehrung.