Epiphany - Christians Celebrate the Forgotten Feast

6th January is the 12th day since Christmas on 25th December. In the traditional Christian calendar, it is known as the day of Epiphany, which is treated by many as just as important as the observance of the birth of Christ. However, as time passes, it has been given relatively little attention nowadays.

To explain the origin of Epiphany, it is easier to start with the Greek word, "epiphaneia", which means "manifestion," referring to the revelation of Christ's divinity. In a biblical sense, the Western Church believes that this is the day when the Son of God, Jesus Christ humbled himself and was baptised on earth.

Therefore, on this day, Christians also observe two other occasions when Christ's divine nature was revealed to mankind - the arrival of the Three Kings at the manger, and Christ's turning of water into wine at the wedding in Cana.

As 6th January is the twelfth day after Christmas, it symbolises the end of the Christmas season. With different cultural background and varied confessions of faith, Epiphany is observed by Christians across the world, especially in America and Europe, in their special ways. Epiphany is most commonly celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, the Episcopal Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Epiphany has become a major baptismal day along with Easter. The priests will bless the local waters, including rivers, lakes and oceans, by throwing a cross into them. Young men dive into the water and compete to retrieve the cross. The winner would receive a special blessing from the priest.

In Tarpon Springs, Fla., America, there is an annual celebration where young Greek-American men dive for crosses in the waters of the Spring Bayou. Around 25,000 people attend the festivities that have remained centred around the blessing of the waters.

In some other Western churches, nativity plays featured on the Magi will be showed, recalling the Three Kings who brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Christ, and realised Christ's divine nature.

In England, amid the catastrophic tsunami in the Indian Ocean, many churches and cathedrals will hold prayer vigils for the victims of the disaster today.

In Italy and Spain, children receive their presents, commemorating the gifts presented by the Magi to the Christ child. Many European towns also mark the Epiphany with a bonfire of Christmas trees, both a practical and a spectacular way to mark the occasion.

Jim Butler, pastor at the First United Methodist Church in America lamented the fact that the religious observance of the day of Epiphany is declining and is now being replaced by secular celebrations.