Pulskamp News

Family History, News, and Plans for the World Wide Gathering of the Pulskamps August 1-3, 2008

Epiphany Traditions

Posted on January 3, 2008 - Filed Under Family history, Uncategorized

Epiphany has been our family’s favorite celebration for about twenty years now. Every year, on January 6th, we invite all our friends and relatives to our house to celebrate the 12th night of Christmas. We eat too much and laugh a lot. Everyone is invited to bring a gift for a poor homeless child in Santa Clara County in honor of that special Child born in a manger two millennium ago. As the Wise Men brought him gifts we collect gifts for others. It turns out to be a much nicer time to party than the hectic pre-Christmas madness and we hold it very precious, seeing friends we miss all year.

There are many other Epiphany traditions. In some countries, this is the traditional day for gifts while December 25 is reserved for a stronger focus on the Christ Child and family gatherings. A rich cake is created and shared with all, in honor of the Three Kings. A gold coin or a small statue of the baby Jesus or a tiny crown might be baked into the cake. The person who finds the surprise is named king for the year, or may be required to provide the next party on Candlemas Day.
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When my daughter and I traveled to Germany last year, we were reminded of another special way of marking the day: The letters CMB with the year (such as this year, 20*C+M+B*08) were marked in chalk above the entry to each house we visited in Germany. The letters may signify the fictional names of the three Wise Men: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, but just as likely they are an abbreviation for the Latin phrase: Christus Manionem Benedicat (Christ bless this house.).

So why is Epiphany so important? It marks the fact that Jesus our Saviour came for all humans, not just the Jewish people. Since most of us are not Jewish, this is really big!

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