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| Epiphany and the Three Wise Men |
| January 3, 2004 |
 Lovers
of carols and Christmas parties know that this season has 12 days, packed with
golden rings, calling birds and various kinds of gentry, musicians and domestic
workers. December 25th is Christmas, and 25 - 12 = 13. That's why shopping malls,
newspapers, television networks, and other cultural fortresses annually deliver
some kind of "Twelve Days of Christmas" blitz, beginning on December
13th.
Problem is that 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 6th. 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 6th, it is known
as the day of the Three Kings (or wise men / Magi): Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar.
According to an old legend based on a Bible story, these three kings saw a bright
star on the night when Christ was born. They followed it to Bethlehem and found
there the Christchild and presented it with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
In Mexico, Epiphany is the Día de los Reyes Magos.
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 25th 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 6th as the celebration of the Nativity. January
6th 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 the
Twelfth Day. In Mexico, on January 5th, the three wise
men are added to the nativity scene and children leave their shoes by the door
in the hope of finding fruits, candy and trinkets the next morning, left inside
for them by the three Wise Men. Presents are given on this day rather than on
Christmas Day. This custom of giving gifts to children on Epiphany, in accordance
to biblical tradition, was adopted here sometime back in the 16th Century. People
go to the markets and stores to get the needed ingredients to prepare the feast.
All over the country, in every city and in every little town, bakeries offer the
Rosca de Reyes, a round or oval sweetbread, decorated with candied fruit. There
are Roscas of all sizes, very small ones for two or three people and up to the
ones that will delight more that twenty people. The Merienda
de Reyes is truly a multicultural event. The Spaniards brought the tradition of
celebrating the Epiphany and sharing the Rosca to the New World. The Rosca is
served along with tamales made of corn, the pre-Hispanic food per excellence,
and hot chocolate. Chocolate is also a gift from the native peoples of the New
World. Hidden inside this delicious Rosca, is a tiny plastic figurine of the Baby
Jesus. The Baby is hidden because it symbolizes the need to find a secure place
where Jesus could be born, a place where King Herod would not find Him. Each
person cuts a slice of the Rosca . The knife symbolizes the danger in which the
Baby Jesus was in. One by one the guests carefully inspect their slice, hopping
they didn't get the figurine. Whoever gets the baby figurine
shall be the host, and invite everyone present to a new celebration on February
2nd, Candelaria or Candle mass day, and he also shall get a new Ropón or
dress for the Baby Jesus of the Nativity scene. As a whole,
the tradition actually begins on the evening of December 24th when the baby Jesus
is placed in the Nativity scene by a previously chosen godmother who will become
the godmother of the hosts. The godmother has the baby's attire custom made, usually
colonial-style, in bright colors of green, red and blue. Some add a crown to the
costume. That night, the family and their guests sing lullabies to the Child and
the godmother gently places Him in the manger. Afterwards, everyone sits down
to enjoy dinner. The days go by, and soon it is the 5th
of January. Mexican families get ready to enjoy the delicious Rosca de Reyes (a
rosca is a large doughnut-shaped cake) with foaming hot chocolate or perhaps a
champurrado (a drink made of milk, sugar, cinnamon and chocolate, thickened with
corn starch). Children must be entertained since they
are incessantly asking, "When are the kings coming?" Older kids know
they have to wait until the following morning, so they have to accept the idea
of going to bed early. Next morning, on January 6 th -
Epiphany - parents are awakened by the cries of happy children enjoying their
new toys …just as they do on Christmas morning in American homes. The
Rosca de Reyes  In
Mexico, it is customary to have a Rosca de Reyes (the Cake of the Kings) on January
5 th. Within it, one will find two, three or ten little plastic dolls, depending
on the size of the cake. Each person cuts his own piece of rosca, hoping not to
find something white inside… There is anxious curiosity throughout the procedure.
When a yell is heard, it means that someone has found a little white plastic doll
and now he or she will have to offer a breakfast on February 2nd, the Day of the
(Virgin of) Candelaria. Such a breakfast usually consists of tamales and atole
or champurrado.
The Day of the Candelaria During
colonial times, candles used during the processions were blessed and they were
kept afterwards to be offered in case of illness or catastrophe. Nowadays, there
are only a few places where that tradition is preserved. Customarily, on this
day, February 2nd, those who pulled out a little plastic doll from the Rosca de
Reyes on January 5th will host a tamale and atole breakfast party. This marks
the end of the festivities that started on December 1st . Also on this day, the
godmother picks up the Baby Jesus from the Nativity scene, brings Him to the church
to be blessed, then puts Him away until next year. The same is done by the family
with the rest of the Nativity scene. Archives
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