Celebrating Epiphany
- Gerda Herenius
- Jan 30
- 5 min read
Updated: Feb 18
Epiphany is celebrated in Catholic, Western Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Christianity on the 12th night of Christmas. In the Georgian calendar, this day falls on 6 January. Eastern Orthodox Churches still follow the old Julian calendar which places Christmas Day on January 7th, and Epiphany on January 19th. In some cultures, Epiphany Day is even more important than Christmas Day.
The word ‘epiphany’ comes from the Greek epiphaneia which means revelation, manifestation or appearance which can be loosely translated as ‘holy light’. The 12 days of Christmas mark the period from when Jesus was born, observed on 25th December, to when he was visited, 12 days later, by the Magi, the Three Kings, or the Three Wise Men. These Kings were guided by the Star of Bethlehem to the stable where baby Jesus lay in a manger. Western Epiphany celebrations pay homage to the Three Kings who brought the news of Jesus to the world. For Catholic and Western Orthodox Christians, Epiphany is an opportunity to reflect on the nature of God’s manifestation on Earth, and the Light He brings to Mankind.
Eastern Orthodox Christians have a different approach to Epiphany which is celebrated on 19 January. While Western Orthodoxy pays homage to the Three Magi who revealed Jesus to the world, Eastern Orthodoxy views Epiphany as a commemoration of the Baptism of Christ at the age of 30, by John the Baptist in the river Jordan. For Russian Orthodox Christians, this day, Κрещение Господне (pronounced Kreshcheniye Gospodne), or ‘Baptism of the Lord’, is closely associated and connected with water. They celebrate this special day by taking a ritual dip in a ‘Jordan’ during the night of January 18th to 19th, recreating the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River.
In January Russia is covered in snow; rivers and lakes are under thick layers of ice. Temperatures drop below 0°C and the further east you go, the further the temperature drops. Siberia easily experiences temperatures below -30°C! In January 2025 a temperature of -55.9°C was recorded in Yakutia, Russia, making it the coldest place on Earth! A ‘Jordan’ is a carefully prepared opening in a thick layer of ice, often in the shape of a cross. Russians celebrate Epiphany by completely submerging themselves three times in succession in Arctic icy water after a special water blessing has been performed by the priest. They believe that the ritual Epiphany or Jordan Ice Bath is a deeply symbolic way of washing away one’s sins.
My sister and I were not raised in a religious home. I was introduced to Protestant Christianity at school. As a 5-year-old in Grade One, I was fascinated by the magical story of baby Jesus, the Star of Bethlehem, the Three Kings bearing gifts, the flight to Egypt, the deserts and skies of the Middle East, camels, men in thoubs (togas) and keffiyehs (headdresses) with long hair and beards, women in flowing thoubs and long headscarves covering their long braided hair, sandals, palm trees, olive trees, dates, flatbreads, pickled lemons, mint tea,...
Many South Africans view Christmas more as a family day of gift-giving and the highlight of the long summer holidays, than as a religious holiday. Those South Africans that are practising Christians do fit a religious aspect into this day by going to church on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. As South Africa is mostly a Protestant Christian country with only a small portion of the population Catholic, Epiphany is not celebrated in South Africa. In fact, outside the Catholic church, most South Africans are not even aware of the existence of Epiphany.
I only found out about Epiphany whilst studying French. My love of cooking had me venturing down the road of French cuisine when I stumbled upon Galette des Rois, the Cake of Kings or Three Kings’ Cake in English. I loved the idea of a feast of Revelation, of Light that to me symbolises spiritual light, reflection on the nature of the Divine, and the insight that one continually searches for on one’s spiritual journey. We started incorporating Epiphany Day into our special occasions where we take care to lay our table in white, gold and silver to symbolise the element of Light that we call upon to fill our lives and spread into the world around us.
Eastern Orthodox Christians have strict dietary rules that they adhere to while fasting during the observance of religious festivals. In France, on the contrary, it is tradition to indulge in lots of excellent food during the Épiphanie or La Fête des Rois (Three Kings' Day) celebrations, the most popular and favourite is Galette Des Rois. Epiphany is not an official holiday in France and is therefore celebrated on the second Sunday after Christmas which would make it the first Sunday in the New Year.
The French word ‘galette’ refers to a flat, savoury or sweet, cake. Galette des Rois is a flat cake made with pâte feuilletée (puff pastry) and an almond paste filling. Originally it was made with a frangipane filling which is made with almond flour, eggs, butter, icing sugar and a dash of rum or almond essence. Most French people find frangipane too rich and too expensive to make and subsequently replace the icing sugar with castor sugar. Once baked the pastry is either dusted with icing sugar or glazed with a sweet rum-flavoured syrup. It is often decorated with intricate designs of leaves before going into the oven.
This sweet pastry is called Pithiviers, after the town of Pithiviers, in the Loire Valley, about 80 km south of Paris, where it was first created. It is tradition to eat the Pithiviers during Epiphany celebrations when it is called Galette Des Rois, the Cake of Kings. A small festive figurine or almond or bean is put inside the galette before it is baked. The lucky person to get served the piece with the figurine is King or Queen for the day. Over the Epiphany celebrations every pâtisserie (bakery) in France will have plenty of Galette des Rois on sale for French people to enjoy as dessert or simply with a cup of filter coffee.
I believe that one does not have to be a member of a particular religion or spiritual practice to appreciate the symbolic value and meaning of a religious celebration. Christians view Jesus, amongst other things, as the Bringer of Light. But that sentiment of bringing in light could be something that we could all benefit from. So why not celebrate Epiphany with candles, white, gold and silver to call upon ourselves the element of Divine Light and Love?
Our world is filled with turmoil and conflict. The hatred, intolerance and jingoism expressed predominantly by the West towards the rest of the Global Majority hangs like a ghastly pall over our beloved planet. So on this special day of homage to the Three Magi, we can call upon the Light of the Divine, to return to us and to prevent our planet from slipping into darkness.
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