Epiphany
(Greek
epiphaneia,"appearance"), feast celebrated on January 6 by the
Anglican, Eastern, and Roman Catholic churches. The feast originated,
and is still recognized in the Eastern
Church, as the anniversary of the baptism
of Christ.
In the Western churches, Epiphany commemorates principally the revelation
to the Gentiles of Jesus
Christ as the Savior, as portrayed by the coming of the Three Wise
Men (see Matthew 2:1-12). In both the Eastern and Western churches the
feast secondarily commemorates the marriage
at Cana (see John 2:1-11), at which Christ performed his first miracle.
Epiphany, known to have been observed earlier than AD194, is older than Christmas
and has always been a festival of the highest rank.
The eve of Epiphany is called Twelfth Night, and the day itself is
sometimes referred to as Twelfth Day. In
England,
the sovereign commemorates the day by offering gold,
frankincense,
and myrrh
at the altar
in the Chapel Royal, at Saint James's Palace. In the Eastern church, at
Epiphany, the holy
water is blessed, a ritual customarily taking place on Holy Saturday
(the day before Easter)
in the Roman
Catholic church.
"Epiphany,"
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2000
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights
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