The earliest reference to Epiphany is in 361, when Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus wrote about it as an established observance, marking it, along with Christmas and Easter, as one of the 3 major “holy days” in the early Church. And for many Christians in the world, Epiphany remains a major event...including us! Now the ways that Claire and I celebrate Epiphany Eve and Epiphany are different from Christians in Eastern Europe, Russia, Greece, Ethiopia, and elsewhere. We do not, for instance, chalk doorways, go in for public processionals, tuck gifts away in children’s shoes, or escort a replica of the Ark of the Covenant to a lake! But we have, like many Christians of the East, served to our guests fancy pastries and a King’s Cake, sung carols together, and shared prayers and blessings for the New Year. Meaningful traditions of our own devising have included putting away the figures of our main nativity scene (with each guest giving a quick devotional relevant to that character), sharing a resolution or two about the new year, and listening to Dylan Thomas’ own reading of his masterful poem, “A Child’s Christmas in Wales.” We have found these things personally inspiring as well as effective in stimulating others. Happy Epiphany!
