Twelfth Night and Epiphany

Epiphany comes from a Greek word for a showing, and the feast celebrates Jesus being shown to the world. In the Western churches it is January 6 and is mainly about the visit of the Magi. Eastern churches focus on Jesus’ baptism.^1,2 Twelfth Night is the evening of January 5, though some count January 6. It was the last night of the twelve days of Christmas, with feasting, plays, wassail and a cake.³

Matthew 2 says wise men, or Magi, came from the east to find a newborn king and gave gold, frankincense and myrrh. It does not say how many there were, does not call them kings, and gives no names.^4,5 The number three grew from the three gifts, and a church writer named Origen is credited with it in the 200s, though sources differ on who said it first.^6,5 The Magi were called kings later. The names Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar were first written down more than 600 years after Matthew.^7,5

A Twelfth Night cake hid a bean and a pea. Whoever found them became king or queen for the night. Samuel Pepys wrote about such a party in January 1660.^3,8 Cakes with a hidden charm are still eaten at Epiphany: the galette des rois in France and the roscón de reyes in Spain. In Mexico the hidden figure is the baby Jesus.^8,1

Many Catholic families chalk 20+C+M+B and the year over the door after chalk is blessed at Epiphany. The letters are read as the Magi’s traditional names and as the Latin for "May Christ bless the house".⁹