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Yahoo!Few holidays are as lengthy as Christmas; made up of several component parts, including the day itself and the Season of Advent, it lasts from the beginning of December to the first week of January. The shopping may be over and the gifts all unwrapped — but for modern American Christians, the Christmas holiday doesn’t technically end until January 6, with the Feast of Epiphany.
Epiphany is one of those Christian holidays which, although universally celebrated, are subtly different from denomination to denomination. Catholics celebrate Epiphany, which commemorates the visit of the Three Wise Men, or Magi, to the infant Christ. Eastern Orthodox Christians, however, celebrate a similar ritual called the Feast of the Theophany on the same day as Epiphany; their holiday commemorates Jesus’ baptism in the river Jordan. Both celebrations officially end the Christmas season, and take place the day after the twelve days of Christmas end on January 5.
One interesting aspect of these two parallel holidays is that they’re much more similar, theologically speaking, than they would appear. To a secular observer, a visit from three Magi and a dip in the river Jordan are entirely different activities; their connection appears obscure. To a Christian scholar, however, they’re both manifestations of Christ as the son of God.
In order to explain this, it’s necessary to recall that Jesus was born a Jew. The Magi, being non-Jews, were representatives of the world’s Gentiles, and thus witnessed his manifestation for that population. The Greek root of the word “epiphany” means “to manifest,” plain and simple. “Theophany,” on the other hand, translates as “manifestation of God”; Jesus’ baptism was also his manifestation as the son of God, but playing to a different audience, as it were.
While the ritual observations of Epiphany and Theophany are somewhat different, they do have one rite in common, which derives from the celebration of Jesus’ baptism. Holy water is blessed on the day of the Feast by both Catholic and Orthodox priests. Catholics bless water in the church. In Orthodox rituals, however, the entire congregation will process to the nearest large body of water, and the priest will bless the entire thing; this water is thought to be actually transformed into a purer fluid, in a process similar to that which occurs when wine and wafers transubstantiate into the blood and body of Christ.
In Santa Barbara, both Epiphany and Theophany services will be held on and around January 6. The Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church will hold a Theophany service and Blessing of the Waters from 8 to 10:30 a.m., while the St. Athanasius Orthodox Church in Goleta will hold its service on January 5 at 6 p.m. For information on Catholic Epiphany celebrations, contact the parish in which you reside.
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