conclusion: epiphany (epiphanias)

So here we are, the last night of Christmas. It makes me always a bit sad to let go of Advent and Christmas and at the same time, I do like the purity of the next phase, the clarity that follows. Epiphany or Three Kings Day on January 6th is such an interesting day and celebrated differently in every country or even every state within a country for that matter. January 6th is celebrated as the day the three wise men from Persia came to Bethlehem. Being away from 'home' leads me to cling to some traditions a bit more tightly and that is not an easy task. When we lived in Pennsylvania - next to Bethlehem as a matter of fact - it seemed that everybody was done with Christmas on December 26th "and out with the tree". It was a tad disconcerting for me, thinking that it was just the second day of Christmas and surely, people should know by that old song about the 12 days of Christmas?












This is a lovely triptych painting by Hieronymus Bosch from 1495. There are some interesting details to look at and explanations here. I love the paintings of Bosch, they are so intriguing. Just this year I could not get my eyes away from his rendition of hell exhibited in the Doge's palace in Venice. A close look reveals the well known strangeness one finds in his art, all these little weired details, like who is the more or less naked guy inside the stable? Why does Jerusalem look so futuristic, even today? And isn't it wicked funny how he loved to have dutch windmills incorporated? It all seems so bizarre and almost absurd, which is probably why I like it so much. But back to Epiphany...

As a child growing up in the protestant north of Germany, I knew about the Three Kings or Three Wise Men, after all, it was an essential part of every nativity scene and usually the most royal. I suppose this is a misinterpretation in a way, but then again, maybe one could argue about wisdom being the most rich to aspire to? I digress. When I moved to Bavaria, this day was a holiday, they have so many down there, it is incredible. I liked it being a holiday, which also means that stores are closed and it is quiet and peaceful, an appropriate ending for the Christmas season. A day to fully enjoy and to contemplate what lies ahead while burning frankincense and myrrh and lighting candles. My mother told me yesterday that it would be bad luck to have any christmas cookies left after this day, but I decided not to hop into that superstitious trap and indulge. Weired superstitions I grew up with would definitely be an interesting blog topic :)

One of the nicest customs is the 'Sternsingen' (Star-singing) where children, traditionally boys in costumes of the wise men go from door to door in their community, sing for people or recite poems, get sweets in return or nowadays collect money for charity . Afterwards they proceed to ask for the household being blessed and leave chalk markings on the door. The markings this year would be 20*C+M+B+09. The C, M and B are for Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar (the kings were named in the eighth century), the star is for the star of Bethlehem and the crosses symbolize the father, the son and the holy spirit.