Originally observed on January 6 but now moved to the Sunday between January 2 and 8, the Feast of the Three Kings marks the official end of Christmas.
Also called the “Adoration of the Magi” or “Feast of the Epiphany,” it is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ. Western Christians commemorate on this day the visitation of the Biblical Magi to the Baby Jesus.
The Magi are popularly referred to as the three wise men, namely: Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, who visited Jesus after his birth in Bethlehem. According to the Gospel of Matthew, the Magi, who came from the East to worship the newborn King of the Jews, found Jesus by following a bright star that led them to Bethlehem. Upon finding the infant Jesus, they gave him three symbolic gifts: gold, myrrh, and frankincense.
In the Philippines, the concept of the Three Kings (Tatlong Hari in Filipino) follows Hispanic influence, with the Feast of the Epiphany considered by many Filipinos as the traditional end of the long local Christmas season.
A fading custom is to have children leave shoes out on Epiphany Eve to receive sweets and money from the Three Kings, much in the same fashion as European children do for St. Nicholas on his feast day. There are also towns that stage a parade of three men dressed in royal robes riding on horses, distributing gifts, usually candies, to children.
The Three Kings as gift-givers have been largely replaced in urban areas by Santa Claus, but they survive in the greeting “Happy Three Kings!” on this day.
January 6, 2014
256 Views
