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domchurch3
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| Posted: Nov 07 2007 at 10:40am | IP Logged
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I read in one of my Catholic tradition books that the Epiphany traditionally happens on Jan 6th, but the church now celebrates it on a particular Sunday so it may happen before Jan 6th. I like the idea of celebrating on the traditional Jan 6th date, but I hesitate to do that because of missing the Mass. Does anyone know the reason for the inconsistent date now? What do families in this forum do? Do you keep the Jan 6th date to celebrate or do you follow the church calendar? Also, Ann Ball's book has the epiphany on Jan 5th and Three Kings Day or Twelfth Night on Jan 6th. Now I'm really confused. I thought the epiphany was the day the Three Kings came to visit our Lord. This cradle Catholic needs some clarification
Thank you for reading,
Elizabeth 
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domchurch3
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| Posted: Nov 07 2007 at 10:43am | IP Logged
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Just to clarify, I would still go to the epiphany Mass on Sunday, but I'm wanting to know what day people celebrate in their home.
Elizabeth
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JodieLyn
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Well.. it sorta depends.. sometimes our schedule makes more sense to do something on the Sunday.. other times it's so early you want to wait. 
There's so many dates that get shifted around to make them on the nearest Sunday.. that I just give the kids the same explaination.
*We celebrate at Church on the nearest Sunday to make it easier for everyone to be able to attend the Mass.*
With my dh's work we often celebrate even birthdays on a convenient day vs the precise day so it's a very normal thing for my kids and doesn't really cause any problems.
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Mary G
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| Posted: Nov 07 2007 at 11:18am | IP Logged
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We do our stockings every year on Little Christmas, aka as the Epiphany. So we celebrate that on Jan 6th -- but we also celebrate the Sunday feast of the Epiphany as celebrated here in the American Church (in Austria and other places, January 6th is STILL the Epiphany). So we get two days out of it. Whichever is later is the last day we have the tree and decorations up.
Clear as mud?
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CrunchyMom
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This year, you are in luck. January 6th is on a Sunday--no question.
I think that Epiphany has different meanings in Eastern Catholicism. It is the celebration of Christ appearing to the world. So, the wise men are part of that (they were not Jewish), as well as the wedding at Cana, and if I'm not mistaken, Christ's baptism. Its a very "mystical" thing (epiphany=revelation of Christ), and a bit different than just the visitation of the magi that the Roman rite emphasizes. I wonder if the differentiation in dates might also be related to the different rites and their calendars and what they refer to things as. You might check a non-Roman source to clarify somewhat. That could explain slightly different dates.
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MaryM
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| Posted: Nov 07 2007 at 12:59pm | IP Logged
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Here is a great Epiphany thread from the past. There was discussion of both traditions and the date celebrated.
Currently the tradition is to recognize 12th night on the evening of the 5th of January - the eve of Epiphany, but it can also be considered to be the evening of the 6th in some older traditions. This is because of when people considered a new day to begin in ancient times(night follows day vs. day follows night). Found a pretty good explanation here
which would account for differences in exact date of epiphany/12th night celebration between 5th or 6th (either could be correct).
The celebration of Epiphany on the 1st Sunday after Christmas instead of on January 6th came with the reforms on the liturgical calendar in 1970. I really don't know the spcific explanation other than that by transferring to a Sunday it made it a time when more people would celebrate with Mass. (Jenn, need your clear explanantion ).
We celebrate both dates in our house - 1st Sunday as part of the Church community at Mass and actaully on the 6th for cultural and family traditions.
These two sites have some specifics on celebrating.
Women for Faith & Family
Catholic Culture
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MaryM
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| Posted: Nov 07 2007 at 1:01pm | IP Logged
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CrunchyMom wrote:
This year, you are in luck. January 6th is on a Sunday--no question.
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Yay! 
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folklaur
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We always celebrate on Jan 6th, too, and we also call it Little Christmas. My Grandmother from Russia ALWAYS did this, so we do, too. 
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Helen
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CrunchyMom wrote:
| It is the celebration of Christ appearing to the world. So, the wise men are part of that (they were not Jewish), as well as the wedding at Cana, and if I'm not mistaken, Christ's baptism. |
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This is also true in the Roman rite. Perhaps one doesn't notice it as easily. But, if you pray the breviary, there is a very real connection between Epiphany, the Wedding Feast of Cana and the Baptism of the Lord: They are all manifestations of Christ's appearance and Divinity in the world.
We celebrate on the Sunday - the way the Church has her calendar. If you follow the older calendar throughout the year, I guess you would celebrate on Jan 6.
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LisaR
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Mary G wrote:
We do our stockings every year on Little Christmas, aka as the Epiphany. So we celebrate that on Jan 6th -- but we also celebrate the Sunday feast of the Epiphany as celebrated here in the American Church (in Austria and other places, January 6th is STILL the Epiphany). So we get two days out of it. Whichever is later is the last day we have the tree and decorations up.
Clear as mud? |
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this is what we do too. works out great this year, in a way, but we'll miss the "double celebration!! "
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: Epiphany Celebration -which day?
