January 6: Epiphany

January 6 is celebrated as Epiphany or the Christian Feast Day. It is the twelfth and the last day of the Christmas season. The term, ‘Epiphany’ denotes ‘to reveal’ and is thus used for the celebration of the revelation that Man was made by God in the form of Christ. Traditionally, this day marks the end of the Christmas season.

Variations of Epiphany

The event is popular among the Eastern Christians by the name of Theophany. Similarly, the Irish call it ‘Little Christmas as Christmas was celebrated on January 6 under the Roman calendar till the adoption of the Gregorian calendar.

January 6: Armenian Christmas

This refers to a culmination of celebration of events associated with Christ’s Incarnation. ‘Epiphany’ forms the core of the Christmas Season in the Church of Armenia. The main events associated with the Armenian Christmas season are Christ’s Nativity in Bethlehem and His Baptism.

Till the fourth century, all Christian churches celebrated the birth of Christ on January 6. Some Roman Catholic sources state that the date of Christmas was changed from January to December to prevail over a pagan feast devoted to the Sun’s Birth, which was celebrated on December 25.

Armenia remained unaffected by the change because it did not follow any pagan practice. and was not dependant on the Roman Church. Armenia remains faithful to their traditions, continuing to celebrate Christmas on January 6.

January 6 Popular Belief: La Befana

In the Italian folklore, Befana is believed to be the female counterpart of Santa Claus who delivers gifts to children. While there is evidence suggesting that the character’s name originated from the Goddess Strina, a popular belief has it that the name ‘Befana’ was derived from the Epiphany festival.

According to one version of the Christian legend, Befana was approached by the three wise (Magis) a few days before the birth of Christ for directions to baby Jesus. However, since she didn’t know, she simply offered them food and shelter for the night. While leaving, the Magis invited her to accompany them on their journey, but she declined. Later, she underwent a change of heart and tried to find the wise men and Baby Jesus. The legend says that she was unsuccessful in her attempts and  moves around in search of Jesus to the present day.

Corresponding to the belief of western churches, that the three Magi visited Baby Jesus with gifts on January 6, ‘revealing’ Him to the rest of the world, Befana is believed to visit all Italian children on this day and fill their socks with gifts. Some eastern churches regard Epiphany as the day that commemorates Jesus’ baptism.

While the Roman Catholic Church observes Epiphany only on January 6, the Protestant churches extend the celebrations till Ash Wednesday (occurs 46 days before Easter). In certain western traditions, the last Sunday of the Epiphany season is celebrated as Transfiguration Sunday.