Monthly Archives: January 2024

Christmas, History, Religion

Today is Epiphany/Three Kings Day(Actual)

Wise Men Adoration
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo ((1617–1682)
Toledo Museum of Art
Public Domain

Epiphany or Three Kings Day is celebrated on January 6 by most Western Christian denominations. It is the day set aside to celebrate the arrival of the Three Wise Men in Bethlehem and the presentation of their gifts to Jesus. The Catholic Church decided to move its observance to the Sunday after Christmas so people would not have to take off work to attend mass.  In 2021, since Christmas fell on a Saturday, it was celebrated the next day. However the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas are still in play.

Twelfth Day observances vary by country and some celebrate it on the evening before. Usually there are special celebrations involving foods and special cakes. If a Christmas log was lit for the season, it is now extinguished. King cake (a traditional part of the feast) is almost always present. Children often get gifts of candy or other things from the Wise Men. In Italy, the Christmas Witch La Belfana delivers  gifts on Epiphany Eve to stockings children put up before bed. They awake to the delight of treats in the stockings. In Spain, it is celebrated as Dia de los Reyes (Three Kings’ Day) where families gather to celebrate the day.

One good way to celebrate it with the family is to gather before the  nativity to remember what the holiday is all about. Christmas music should be played and a nice midday meal served. Then taking down the Christmas tree can be done together. The nativity scene can remain up until the Baptism of the Lord (Jan 9 this year) which ends the Christmas season.

 

Christmas, History, Titanic

Titanic News for 2 Jan 2024

Farewell 2023

Bow section of tanker SS Pendleton grounded near Pollock Rib lightship six miles off Chatham, Mass on the morning of Feb. 19, 1952.
Photo:Public Domain (U.S. Coast Guard)

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Happy New Year everyone. I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Christmas. Believe it or not, the Christmas season is still on and celebrated in many Christian churches. Christmas is traditionally celebrated for 12 days beginning on December 25 and usually concludes on or about January 6 with the arrival of the Three Wise Men (called Three Kings Day, Epiphany Day). However if that day falls on a Saturday or the following Monday, it is usually celebrated on Sunday.

However some believe that Christmas extends out from the Epiphany till the Presentation  of the Lord (February 2). Since this is also called Candlemas (you bring candles to church to be blessed),  Candlemas is celebrated in some countries with festivities akin to Christmas. In the U.S., the national conference of bishops has decided that Christmas formally ends on the Baptism of the Lord, which comes after Epiphany,  Most people begin taking down their Christmas decorations in the days leading up to the Epiphany. There used to be a special feast in some countries on the day when the last decorations come down. Taking down and packing up  decorations is both happy and sad in my home. Sad that Christmas is over but then happy it will come back!

Now for some news-

Image: OceanGate

“Remembering Those Lost on OceanGate’s Titan Submersible.” CBS News, 31 Dec. 2023, www.cbsnews.com/news/oceangate-titan-submersible-remembering-those-lost.

Most of the time, an obituary makes headlines because of how a person lived. But every now and then, it’s because of how they died. That certainly is the case for the five men on the OceanGate Titan submersible, which imploded this past June on its way down to the Titanic.  

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“Is the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge Worth It? A Local Weighs In.” The Smokies, 2 Jan. 2024, www.thesmokies.com/is-the-titanic-museum-in-pigeon-forge-worth-it.

But to limit the appreciation of the museum to those who wish for a “King-of-the-World” moment is to dismiss the history nerd that exists in so many of us. The displays, some of which are rotating, are diverting and informative. The rooms are exact replicas of Titanic’s quarters and are akin to touring Versailles, Napoleon III’s quarters in the Louvre or the tours at Biltmore. Because there are quicker ways to spend your money in Pigeon Forge in three hours, I would say yes, it’s worth checking out at least once.

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