What is Epiphany?
Epiphany, from a Greek word meaning manifestation, is the Christian feast that closes the Christmas season. In the Western churches it commemorates principally the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus, described in the Gospel of Matthew, with the baptism of Jesus and the wedding at Cana as secondary themes, and so it is often known as Three Kings Day or the Feast of the Three Kings. It is the day on which children in Spain traditionally receive their gifts from the Three Kings, and which Italians link with the Befana, a gift-bringing old woman.
In the Eastern churches the feast, called Theophany, commemorates the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan. Its central ritual is the blessing of water. In Bulgaria a priest throws a wooden cross into water and young men race to retrieve it, and similar events take place in Greece, Cyprus and Romania. In Ethiopia and Eritrea the feast is Timkat, celebrated on 19 January with water blessings and processions carrying the tabot. Many families in Western countries bake a special cake containing a hidden bean or figurine, and whoever finds it is crowned king or queen for the day, a custom found in France, Spain, Portugal and elsewhere.
Why it is observed
The feast of the manifestation of Christ appears to have begun in the Greek-speaking East as a celebration of the baptism of Jesus. Clement of Alexandria around AD 200 mentions a group observing the day of the baptism, and the earliest reference to Epiphany as a Christian feast is by Ammianus Marcellinus in 361. By 354 the Western church had assigned the birth of Christ to 25 December, leaving 6 January to commemorate the manifestation of Christ, especially to the Magi, while the Eastern churches kept the baptism as the main subject. The twelve days between 25 December and 6 January came to be treated as a single festive season, which explains the common custom of taking down Christmas decorations on or around the date.
How the date is set
Epiphany is fixed on 6 January. Orthodox churches that use the Julian calendar celebrate the same feast, called Theophany, on 6 January in their own calendar, which is 19 January in the civil calendar.
How it is observed
In the site's 2027 data Epiphany on 6 January is a public holiday in Andorra, Austria, Cyprus, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Italy, Liechtenstein, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and Vatican City, and in parts of Germany and Switzerland. Colombia and the Dominican Republic move it to a Monday (11 and 4 January in 2027). In Spain and Italy the day before is full of parades and sweets, such as the roscón de Reyes cake, and the day itself is a family occasion. In Poland the day was restored as a public holiday in 2011, after being removed in 1960, and is marked by processions of the Three Kings. Georgia, Ethiopia and Eritrea observe the feast on 19 January. Whether extra pay applies on the day depends on the country and the contract.
Sources
Åland Islands
Andorra
Austria
Croatia
Cyprus
Finland
Greece
Italy
Liechtenstein
Poland
Romania
San Marino
Slovakia
Spain
Sweden
Vatican City