By KAITLIN KLEIN
WONDERFUL ADVENTURE
After joyfully preparing in Advent, we Catholics begin our Christmas celebrations at midnight Mass and continue into Christmas day and the Christmas season. While much of society takes down decorations and holds their parties before Christmas day, the celebration for Catholics is just beginning! The 12 days of Christmas lead into another huge feast – Epiphany, which commemorates the Magi visiting the Christ child; the baptism of the Lord; and the miracle at Cana. Since Christmas is such an important day liturgically, let’s make it an important day in our hearts and homes.
Finding ways to keep the feast holy is important no matter what you do! Here are some ideas, including some common in the U.S. and from different parts of the world:
Keep your Christmas decorations up! Move the wise men into the manger after they’ve traveled around your home. The visual addition of the kings and the continued beauty of holiday decorations can remind us that we are still celebrating God made flesh. In England, families light a Yule Log on Christmas day and kept it burning until Epiphany, symbolizing keeping the stable warm for Jesus; and it was said to bring good fortune to the home.
Not able to have a real Yule Log? Eat a chocolate log cake instead. The English also include a 12th Night Cake, a dense fruit cake with a bean (or figurine) hidden inside. Whoever finds the bean is King or Queen for the day! This is also called a King Cake, and different forms are found in different European countries. It could be fun to incorporate the kind of treat eaten by people of your ancestry.
It is also common to bless your home with the Epiphany blessing, with blessed chalk. Many parishes have a copy of the prayer and blessed chalk available. Simply write 20 + C + M + B + 23 (the year surrounding the initials of the names given to the three kings, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, or others say it stands for “Christus Mansionem Benedicat,” meaning Christ Bless this House) above your doorway.
This blessing is done in Germany by the Sternsinger (star singers). Three are dressed as the Magi, with another holding a star, and they travel from home to home, giving treats and asking for donations for a good cause. In Ireland, women often take a break and have high tea and wine to celebrate the wedding feast at Cana.
In Poland, Three Wise Men Processions are common; and in Puerto Rico, children leave grass in their shoes, and often a wish list, for the Los Reyes (Three Kings) to find. In the morning, the children find that the camels snacked on their grass; and, in return, the kings left presents. In Russia, priests conduct the Great Blessing of the Waters, at the baptismal font or a nearby body of water.
In the U.S., some parishes also do an Epiphany blessing of water and salt, which can be used throughout the year.
Even though Epiphany already is upon us, it’s not too late to incorporate some celebration into your home! Before the 1969 liturgical calendar revisions, Epiphany had its own octave – eight full days of celebration! With this in mind, there is plenty of time to try your hand at a King Cake; move the wisemen in your nativity scene; and find another way to celebrate Christ. May the Lord bless you and your families in the new year.
Kaitlin Klein is a 2014 graduate of the University of Evansville. She is a music therapist at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. Her home parish is Christ the King in Ferdinand, Indiana.