Epiphany: Balthasar, Melchior & Gaspar

06 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by michelinewalker in Feasts, Sharing

Tags

Balthazar, Epiphany's cake, Feast, Gaspar, Kings of Orient, Magi, Melchior, Theophany, Tiffany, Twelfth Night

Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy: “The Three Wise Men” (named Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar). Detail from: “Mary and Child, surrounded by angels”, mosaic of a Ravennate Italian-Byzantine workshop, completed within 526 CE by the so-called “Master of Sant’Apollinare”. (Caption and photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the Western Church, today is Epiphany,[i] the day on which is commemorated the arrival in Bethlehem of the Magi (wise men), the three kings of Orient who brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh.[ii] In the Eastern Church, the birth of Jesus and the Epiphany are on different days: the 7th of January and the 19th of January. It appears this discrepancy is due to the current 13-day[iii] difference between the Julian calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BCE, and the Gregorian calendar, introduced by Pope Gregory VIII (7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585).

But Epiphany (from the Greek epiphaneia or manifestation) is a trans-cultural phenomenom. If it involves the manifestation, before mere mortals, of the power of a god, this manifestation is called a Theophany. Such was the case in “pagan” Greek mythology. The name Tiffany is an English form of the Greek Theophany.[iv]

For Christians, a godly manifestation is usually called an apparition. The Virgin Mary appeared to Sainte Marie-Bernarde Soubirous (7 January 1844 – 16 April 1879) 18 times, at Lourdes. The Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Fátima also appeared on the 13th day of six consecutive months, beginning 13 May 1917, at Fátima, Portugal.

So, at the core of the word E/epiphany is the idea of a vision as well as the idea of a revelation. In fact, at the moment, the word simply means an important revelation, or what is often termed “a wake-up call.” An “epiphany” may change the course of a person’s life.[v]

Bethlehem Logo

However, for children born to French-speaking Canadians, Epiphany was the commemoration of the arrival in Bethlehem of the three Kings of Orient, who were bearing regal gifts. The kings were named Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar. Balthasar was king of Arabia, Melchior, king of Persia, and, Gaspar, king of India. They had been guided by a star to see, i.e. a manifestation, the child Jesus.

—ooo—

In my family, Epiphany was a very special day. We received gifts from our parents. Moreover, on that day we ate the cake in which a bean had been inserted. The person who ate the piece of cake containing the bean was crowned King or Queen. It was lovely and magical (as in “Magi”), and we enjoyed the fact that it was always a holiday.

Epiphany was also the twelfth day of Christmas (Twelfth Night is the night before Epiphany). Epiphany therefore ended the festivities linked with the birth of Jesus. On that day, we took the decorations off the tree and wrapped them carefully so they could be used again and again.

However there was a dark side to the event that was carefully separated from the arrival of the Kings. The Kings of Orient were told by an angel that they should travel home a different way. Similarly, Joseph was told in a dream to depart immediately and take Jesus and Mary to Egypt. Herod ordered the massacre of all male infants just born in Bethlehem. This event is known as the Massacre of the Innocents.

_________________________

[i] “Epiphany.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 05 Jan. 2013. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/190101/Epiphany>.

[ii] “Epiphany.”
– the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12), ←
– the festival commemorating the Epiphany on 6 January,
– a moment of sudden and great revelation or realization.
<http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/epiphany>

[iii] “Since the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, the difference between Gregorian and Julian calendar dates has increased by three days every four centuries.”
Gregorian Calendar, Wikipedia
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar>

[iv] “Tiffany.” Wikipedia
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiffany_(given_name)>

[v] “Epiphany.”
– the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12),
– the festival commemorating the Epiphany on 6 January,
– a moment of sudden and great revelation or realization. ←
<http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/epiphany>

We Three Kings: Epiphany Montage,

arrangement by Eugene Ormandy (18 November 1899 – 12 March 1985)

Epiphany: Balthasar, Melchior & Gaspar

06 Friday Jan 2012

Posted by michelinewalker in Feasts, Sharing

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

Balthazar, Epiphany's cake, Feast, Gaspar, Kings of Orient, Magi, Melchior, Theophany, Tiffany, Twelfth Night

Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy: “The Three Wise Men” (named Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar). Detail from: “Mary and Child, surrounded by angels”, mosaic of a Ravennate italian-byzantine workshop, completed within 526 CE by the so-called “Master of Sant’Apollinare”. (Caption and photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the Western Church, the 6th of January is Epiphany,[i] the day on which is commemorated the arrival in Bethlehem of the Magi (wise men), the three kings of Orient who brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh.[ii] In the Eastern Church, the birth of Jesus and the Epiphany are on different days: the 6th of January and the 19th of January. It appears this discrepancy is due to the current 13-day[iii] difference between the Julian calendar, introduced by Julius Cesar in 45 BCE and the Gregorian calendar, introduced by Pope Gregory VIII (7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585).

But Epiphany (from the Greek epiphaneia or manifestation) is a trans-cultural phenomenon. If an epiphany involves the manifestation before mere mortals of the power of a god, this manifestation is called a Theophany. Such was the case in Greek mythology. The name Tiffany is an English form of the Greek word Theophany.[iv]

For Christians, a godly manifestation, is usually called an apparition. The Virgin Mary appeared to Sainte Marie-Bernarde Soubirous (7 January 1844 – 16 April 1879) 18 times, at Lourdes. The Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Fátima also appeared on the 13th day of six consecutive months, beginning May 13th, 1917, at Fátima, Portugal.

So, the word epiphany encompasses the idea of a vision and that of a revelation. In fact, at the moment, the word usually means an important revelation, or what is often termed “a wake-up call.” An epiphany may change the course of a person’s life.[v]

owever, for children born to French-speaking Canadians, Epiphany was the commemoration of the arrival in Bethlehem of the three Kings of Orient, who were bearing regal gifts. They were named Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar. Balthasar was king of Arabia, Melchior, king of Persia, and, Gaspar, king of India. They had been guided by a star.

—ooo—

In my family, Epiphany was a very special day. We received gifts from our parents. Moreover, on that day we ate the cake in which a bean had been inserted. The person who ate the piece of cake containing the bean was crowned King or Queen. It was lovely and magical, and we enjoyed the fact that it was always a holiday.

_________________________

[i] “Epiphany.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 05 Jan. 2013. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/190101/Epiphany>.

[ii] “Epiphany.”
– the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12)
– the festival commemorating the Epiphany on 6 January
– a moment of sudden and great revelation or realization. <http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/epiphany>

[iv] “Tiffany.” Wikipedia
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiffany_(given_name)>

[v] “Epiphany.”
– the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12)
– the festival commemorating the Epiphany on 6 January
– a moment of sudden and great revelation or realization.
<http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/epiphany>
We Three Kings: Epiphany Montage,
arrangement by Eugene Ormandy (18 November 1899 – 12 March 1985)

Cake or Pie

10 Monday Oct 2011

Posted by michelinewalker in Sharing

≈ Comments Off on Cake or Pie

Tags

apple pie, café society, chocolate cake, Epiphany's cake, lemon meringue pie, mother, seasons, WordPress

Pumpkin Pie

This subject was suggested by WordPress. It is a fine topic. So I have chosen to write a few words on this delicious subject. I hope this post will be therapeutic.

Cake or pie? Well, it depends!

Given that I have just finished breakfast, at the moment, I am not hungry. However, if I were, I would choose pie.

We are in North-America and, during the fall, pies are a favourite. My preference is for apple pie. But when pumpkins are on the stands, I eat pumpkin pie. But, this Christmas day, I’m dreaming, I hope to eat a big piece of the Christmas log: a cake. However, having been the wife of a gentleman whose family lived in Yorkshire, I could easily forego a piece of the Christmas log and eat plum pudding instead. I love it.

So, my choice of pie or cake depends, to a large extent, on the season and on the Feast day of that season. Traditions are so important.

At this time of year, I eat pie.

However, when my birthday comes around, I eat cake, preferably chocolate or moka cake, gooey cake. I like cake that does not cause a major challenge to forks. I like soft cake.

When we were children, my siblings and I ate cake on January 6: Epiphany. Would you believe that our mother treated us to two Christmases? January 6 was a holiday. We always returned to school after, never before, January 6 and, on that day, one of the four children would be king or queen.

Mother would insert a bean in the cake and the person who was served the piece that contained the bean was crowned. It was a homemade crown, but never was a crown worn with such pride as Epiphany’s crown. As well, on the morning of January 6, there were gifts under the tree. It was truly a second Christmas.

As you have guessed by now, my mother enjoyed cooking and she also enjoyed seeing our happy faces. Looking at us was always a bit of an endeavour as we were totally different from one another. There was no resemblance. No, we were not adopted.

And now comes lemon pie: lemon meringue pie. That was the joy-of-summer pie. I loved it. We loved it. Mother also made other summer pies: blueberry, cherry and other berries. Occasionally, she sent us out to pick the berries.

I still eat cake and pie, but only on special days. I am one of these persons who decided, early in life, that he or she would eat in moderation. However, for a few years, there was afternoon coffee and the occasional pastry. I am a perfect candidate for Café society and, during a few years, I joined friends in a café every afternoon. I then lived in downton Toronto. Those were happy years.

It has also occurred to me that in an earlier century, I would have my own salon and serve pie and cake to my salonniers and salonnìères. So: Bon appétit!

* * *

October 10, 2011