Epiphany is the Christian celebration of the human manifestation of God as Jesus Christ. To most, a birth would represent this, but it is the baptism of Jesus of Nazareth by John the Baptist on January 6th that is the manifestation of God as Jesus Christ. It is also known as the day that God the father revealed Jesus Christ as his son, or as the day that the three Kings arrived and confirmed Jesus Christ to be the king of the Jews and the son of God.
While it is primarily an Eastern Christian Church holiday, some western Christian churches celebrate Epiphany as well. Just as the Eastern and Western Churches differ, so do the celebrations of Epiphany. In Orthodox Churches, like in Greece, Epiphany is marked by a parade of crosses to a body of water where a priest blesses the seas by throwing a cross into the water. In Greece, an additional part of the ceremony involves swimmers diving in after the cross. Whoever retrieves it brings the cross to the priest and is blessed.
In some countries, Epiphany is marked by removing the greenery of Christmas. In South American churches, children leave their shoes at the front door on the night of the fifth and on the morning of the sixth, a present is left by their shoes. In some European churches, children in groups of three go caroling from house to house and receive coins and other small gifts. In England, Epiphany is marked by the performance of plays: Shakespeare's Twelfth Night was written to be entertainment during the Christmas season.
However Epiphany is celebrated, it is a time of revelry and reflection. Happy Epiphany!
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