The term epiphany, of Greek origin, means appearance / manifestation. Epiphany is a religious holiday celebrated on January 6. It marks the date of the appearance of Jesus.
Until the end of the 4th century, the epiphany is the only Christian festival that celebrates the manifestation of God in the world in the person of Christ.
Epiphany is also called the feast of kings. It corresponds to the day when the three wise men, Balthazar, Melchior and Gaspard, discovered the birth of Jesus by following a shining star. They offered him gold, symbol of royalty, incense to honor his divinity and myrrh to announce his humanity.
The Epiphany is part of the Christmas cycle which commemorates the incarnation of God on earth. This feast is linked, in the East, to the baptism of the Lord.
This religious festival was established in 1801. The feast of the Epiphany, originally set on January 6 by the Western and Eastern churches, is now celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church on the Sunday following January 1.
To celebrate the Epiphany in France, on the first Sunday of January, people eat the “galette des rois”, a round and golden cake made of almond cream, eggs, butter and sugar, in which a lucky charm is inserted.
The origin of this tradition is probably Roman. Indeed, in honor of the god Saturn, the Romans shared a cake in which was hidden a dry bean.
Epiphany is now more than a religious holiday. It is a moment of sharing and happiness. In other countries such as Russia and Ukraine, the Epiphany is celebrated by throwing oneself into the water. In fact, among the Orthodox, this festival corresponds to the baptism of Jesus by St. John the Baptist.
The tradition in Mexico is also close to the one in France.
Mexicans celebrate this event by tasting the “Rosca de Reyes“!
