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Epiphany traditions

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In Spanish-speaking parts of the world the Three Kings receive letters from children and bring them gifts on the night before Epiphany. In some areas of Spain, children prepare a drink for each of the Magi, and prepare food and drink for the camels. Cities and towns organise cabalgatas in the evening, in which the kings and their servants parade and throw sweets to the children (and parents) in attendance. The Mystery Play of the Three Magic Kings is also presented on Epiphany Eve. In the Philippines the cabalgada is today done only in some areas, and another dying custom is children leaving shoes out on Epiphany Eve, so that they may receive sweets and money from the Three Kings. Sadly the Three Kings as gift-givers have been largely replaced by Santa Claus. In Paraguay, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, children cut grass or greenery on 5 January and put it in a box under their bed for the Kings’ camels.

In Spain and Portugal, a special ring-shaped cake Roscon de Reyes contains a small figurine of a King (or another surprise) and a dry broad bean. The one who gets the figurine is “crowned” (with a crown made of cardboard or paper), but whoever gets the bean has to pay the value of the cake. In Mexico whoever gets a figurine is supposed to organise and be the host of the family celebration for the Candelaria feast on 2 February. In France and Belgium, a cake containing a small figure of the baby Jesus, is shared within the family. Whoever gets the figure is crowned king for the remainder of the holiday and wears a cardboard crown purchased with the cake. A similar practice is common in many areas of Switzerland, but the figurine is a miniature king. In New Orleans, and parts of southern Texas, a similar ring-shaped cake known as a “King Cake” traditionally can be bought in bakeries from Epiphany to Mardi Gras.

A tradition in Poland and German-speaking Catholic areas is the writing of the three kings’ initials (C+M+B or K+M+B) above the door of Catholic homes in chalk. This is a new year’s blessing for the occupants and the initials are believed to also stand for “Christus mansionem benedicat” (“May Christ Bless This House”). These markings may be made by the Sternsinger (literally, “star singers”) – a group of children dressed up as the magi, who carry a star and sing Christmas carols as they go door to door. After singing, the children write the three kings’ initials on the door frame in exchange for charitable donations.

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Fr Matthew

A different John the Baptist

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When I was in the art gallery in Berlin a few years ago; I was struck by a very different painting of St John the Baptist. Here Daniella Zsupan-Jerome, a liturgy lecturer from New Orleans writes about that same painting, Geertgen tot Sint Jans’ Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness.

“We meet the prophet in the wilderness. A lamb keeps him company as John sits on a jutting rock by a creek; heavily cloaked, deep in thought. Although known for his fiery passion, here we see a different side of St John: introspective, prayerful, meditative. The scene brings to mind Christ’s own time in the wilderness, a time of prayer, trial, and temptation right after he meets St John at the Jordan. Could it be that John was preparing the way for the Lord’s own trial in the wilderness?

Just as St John might invite Christ into the wilderness, he also prepares the way, for us to venture into our own wilderness. In the wilderness of our lives, we thirst for God’s grace the most. In our daily dry existence, any quick quench tempts us, even as we know that our thirst runs deeper. In the wilderness, St John prepares the way by prayers; his struggle there is not against the corrupt king, but against the desire of his will. Before he preaches repentance and calls for justice, he prays and ponders his utter reliance on God. And even in the midst of this spiritual struggle, he finds that God’s grace already holds him; he is seated by a life-giving stream, and the lamb curls up close by, both symbols to demonstrate God’s presence.

In these days of Advent, we experience the already and the not yet. We are in the wilderness, yet the life-giving grace of God is always and already there. At the same time, we still await the fullness of glory, the ultimate quenching of our thirst. May our own lives of prayer prepare the way of the Lord within us as we await his coming.”

To see the painting visit www.artbible.info/art/large/116.html
To hear the meditation on Youtube search “Arts and Faith Third Sunday of Advent Year A”