Today is Wednesday, January 6th- The official day on the Christian calendar set aside to celebrate the coming of the Magi to worship the Christ Child as well as commemorate His coming into the world to save sinners and give them eternal life. Epiphany is the final day of the 12 days of Christmas, which are days of celebration and remembrance including the Feasts of St. Stephen, St. John the Evangelist, and the Holy Innocents, the children slaughtered by King Harod in his blood thirsty search for the infant Jesus.
Of course the most familiar 12 days of Christmas are the ones we sing about ad nauseum during the Christmas season. The days refer to those between the birth of Christ and the coming of the Magi. Some speculate that the gifts referred to in the song are symbolic and were ways for Catholic children to learn their faith during a time of persecution, though there is no proof to support this idea.
No one knows exactly when or where the song originated, though it is believed to come from France. The first printed version of the song is from an English children's book from 1780 called Mirth without Mischief. The song most likely started as a "memory-and-forfeits" game in which the leader would sing a verse and everyone would repeat it. The leader would then add another verse, and so on, and so on, until someone made a mistake. The infractor's punishment was to give a kiss or a piece of candy to everyone else.
Have a happy 12th day of Christmas today and a blessed Epiphany. May He whose arrival and salvation we celebrate today fill your heart with the light of the knowledge of the glory of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment