Informative Essay On Epiphany

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Three Kings Day, also known as Epiphany, is a Christian holiday that is celebrated annually on January 6th all around the world. The holiday is a celebration for the two significant hallmarks in Jesus’ life, when the three kings visited the newborn Christ in Bethlehem and Jesus’ baptism in the river of Jordan by John the Baptist (Britannica, 2007). The Western Church celebrates the visit by the Three Kings to the infant Jesus and the Eastern Church celebrates the baptism of Jesus (Britannica, 2007). The holiday commemorates the Bible story of the Three Kings, or Wise Men, who followed the divine star and travelled across a vast desert for twelve days to welcome the newborn Jesus to the world with special gifts. These men were Melchior, Caspar, …show more content…

Like in Latino Cultures and France, Orthodox Greek Christians celebrate Epiphany with Vasilopita, a celebratory Greek Cake with a lucky dime inside. The dime represents good luck throughout the year and there is no other associated beliefs that come with it. The recipe calls for a lot of butter and eggs, anise-flavored masticha, and with an additional liquid made of whole mixed spices (Paget, 2004). However, the difference in celebrating Epiphany in Greece is that the bread is baked in advanced and is to be taken to church, instead of baking it at home, to be blessed and to be cut. Epiphany traditions in Greece are different. The people begin to observe Epiphany on January 5 by fasting; which means no meat, fish, dairy, or wine, and they are to only eat vegetables for the day (Paget, 2004). On the 6th of January, the day of the celebration, the people in Greece eat the Vasilopita as part of the ceremony and the cake is always made by women. The cake, also known as New Year’s Cake, is mostly associated with St. Basil’s Day in Greece which is January 1. In addition, some regions in Greece hold the tradition of the cake with a hidden coin to be associated with Epiphany and

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