Christians celebrate Epiphany on January 6. This feast day celebrates the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus Christ.
It has been celebrated since the 3rd century. The Church remembers the “three miracles”: the visit of the magi to the Christ Child, the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River and the Miracle at Cana, according to the Slovak Bishops Conference (KBS).
The celebration of this day later spread to the west, where the visit of the magi, or three wise men, named Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar, is recognised, the TASR newswire reported.
“Their arrival means that pagans can discover Jesus and bow to him as the God’s Son and the Saviour of the World only if they turn to Jews and accept from them the messianic promise as stated in the Old Testament,” KBS said, as quoted by TASR.
Consecrating homes
As part of the feast day, houses are usually consecrated. Priests use chalk to write the current year with three letters C, M and B (an abbreviation for Christus Mansionem Benedicat), meaning “may Christ bless this house”, in the upper part of the door.
At the same time, water is blessed in churches and believers take it to their homes, TASR wrote.
In addition, since Epiphany is a national holiday in Slovakia, shops are closed during this day.
After Epiphany, the Roman Catholic Church will celebrate the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.