As many of you know, our yard decorations remain in place, frozen and waiting. It will have to go above 35 degrees before my energy is directed toward packing up.
In the meantime, Epiphany or Twelfth Night has come and gone. Americans may not hold this date of January 6 high in the celebrations category, but it is regarded worldwide. It marks the end of the Christmas season.
In the Greek language, epiphany holds the meaning of “appearance.” And so it was that those kings with wisdom and knowledge followed a guiding light that led them to Jesus’ birthplace. That journey took the better part of two weeks.
All over the world, January 6 has become a date that marked three events: the arrival of the wise men in Bethlehem, the date of Jesus’ baptism and the recorded first miracle when Jesus transformed water into wine at Cana. Those happened at different times, yet were recorded as the same date.
In the 9th century, things were happening. King Alfred decreed Christmas season as “Christmas plus 12 days thereafter.” In that same century, names showed up for the three wise men: Caspar of Tarsus, Melchior, king of Arabia, and Balthasar, king of Sheba. Even though the gifts were identified in the Bible, there might have been more than three wise men.
During the Middle Ages, those kings’ names were written on peoples’ doors with a chalk-like substance which had been blessed. Homes were blessed with baptismal water. Later, King Charles II promoted Twelfth Night observances with special cakes and the burning of holiday greens, a formal ending to the 12 days of Christmas.
In Syrian legends, wild animals were supposed to remain in caves on Epiphany Eve. And trees were to have knelt in adoration at midnight.
Latin cultures held solemn religious festivals which included a pre-Lenten carnival. Devout Mexicans made pilgrimages to Mexico City to appear before the Lord of Chalma.
The influence of early Virginia settlers here may explain why Texans still eat black-eyed peas on January 1. Good fortune lies ahead in 2026. Since the days of George Washington, the peas were a delicacy in New Year feasts.
But this next practice may be the worst. This Epiphany custom brought singers (chanters) and a man with a cow horn to a farm. In West Sussex of England, this was called “worsling.” A farmer would give permission for his trees to be “worsled.” Men made much noise and merriment, beating tree trunks to assure fertility, then they discharged firearms into leafless branches. To end it, the farmer invited the group home to feast.
My reflections on this procedure would begin with “Some way to get a free meal!” It would include “Were these guys high on mead?” and continue with “Let’s guess who was in the farmhouse fixing the feast!”
Mary Lee Minor is a member of the Earth, Wind and Flowers Garden Club, an accredited master gardener, a flower show judge for the Ohio Association of Garden Clubs and a former 6th-grade teacher.
This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Over the Garden Fence shares the traditions of Epiphany
Reporting by Mansfield News Journal / Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
