Monthly Archives: January 2026

History, Holidays, Religion

Epiphany Sunday (Three Kings Day)

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

We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage. (Matthew 2:2)

Epiphany Sunday is observed by most Christian denominations as a day in which Jesus is revealed to the world when the Magi arrive. It was practiced before Christmas was formally observed by the church.

In the early days, Christians set aside one day a week as the Lord’s Day which became Sunday. By the second century, Lent, Easter and the Pentecost were established as well. And by the third century, Epiphany was observed to celebrate Jesus’ birth, his baptism, the arrival of the Magi, and the miracle at Cana. Once Advent and Christmas began to be formally celebrated in the fourth century, Advent was the preparation for the birth, Christmas celebrated as the savior’s birth, and Epiphany was the day in which he was manifested to the world with arrival of the Magi and also his baptism and first miracle in Cana. Catholic Eastern Rite and Eastern Orthodox celebrate the day as when Jesus’ divinity was revealed at his baptism on the River Jordan (called Theophany). Not all Protestant denominations follow this observance such as the Anabaptists (Amish, Mennonite and others). In the Catholic church, the Sunday after Epiphany is celebrated as the Baptism of Jesus and his first miracle.

Adoration of the Magi
El Greco (1541–1614)
Museo Soumaya at Plaza Carso
Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

The traditional date is January 6 and is twelve days after the birth of Jesus. It also marked the end of the Christmas season with this important holiday. The day before was usually the day to take down Christmas decorations and the day itself had its own traditions and feasts. Marking your front door by writing the names of the wise men with chalk became popular. Special cakes and processions took place as well such as Dia de los Reyes. Children would often get gifts and candy. In Italy, La Befana, the Christmas Witch, delivers gifts during the night for children. France has a special cake, Galette des Rois, with the figure of baby Jesus inside it to be found by a lucky person. And many Spanish speaking countries (and localities) have Los Reyes Magos festivities and gifts for kids as well. So, the day is a festive one for many people. And a nice way to wind down the Christmas season. These traditions and celebrations continue to this day.

However, in the United States and several European countries, the liturgical observation is no longer on January 6. One of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council allowed for the episcopal conference in each nation to request to move certain holy days of obligation to the nearest Sunday. Since it was hard to for people to attend mass during the week due to work, school, or travel, moving it to the nearest Sunday between January 2-8 seemed the best way to make sure people attended the mass. It is important to note that this was a pastoral not liturgical change. Both the historical and universal date remains unchanged.

Sources

“The History of the Epiphany: Here’s What You Need to Know – EWTN Great Britain.” https://ewtn.co.uk/article-the-history-of-the-epiphany-heres-what-you-need-to-know/.

“Why The United States Celebrates Epiphany on Sunday Instead of January 6 – Catholic Online News.” Last modified January 2, 2026. https://catholiconline.news/faith/why-the-united-states-celebrates-epiphany-on-sunday-instead-of-january-6/.

“8 Wonderful International Ways to Celebrate the Epiphany.” The Writings of Cora Evans. https://www.coraevans.com/blog/article/8-wonderful-international-ways-to-celebrate-the-epiphany.

Correale, Marta. “La Befana: All You Need to Know About Italy’s Most Beloved Witch (With Coloring Sheet for Kids) | Mama.” Mama Loves Italy, December 16, 2024. Accessed January 4, 2026. https://mamalovesitaly.com/la-befana-italy-christmas-witch/.

Manzanares, Mariana. “7 Curious Epiphany and Three Kings’ Day Traditions Around the World – Catholic Mass Times.” Horarios de Misa, December 30, 2025. https://catholicmasstimes.com/7-curious-epiphany-and-three-kings-day-traditions-around-the-world/.

Roos, Dave. “What Is the Christian Holiday of Epiphany?” HISTORY. Last modified December 19, 2025. https://www.history.com/articles/epiphany-three-kings-day.

Suggested Reading

dePaola, Tomie. The Story of the Three Wise Kings. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2020.

Longenecker, Dwight, Mystery of the Magi: The Quest to Identify the Three Wise Men, Hardcover. (Regenery, 2021).

Harrington, Paul. Epiphany: The Untold Epic Journey of the Magi. Booksurge Publishing, 2009.

Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives (National Geographic Books, 2012).

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Titanic

Titanic News for the New Year

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Lee, Sue. “‘They Called Him the Coward of the Titanic but I Can Tell You the Real Story.’” Liverpool Echo, December 30, 2025. https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/they-called-him-coward-titanic-33110286.

It was other people’s reactions to his surname which later set him off on a quest for the truth about what really happened the night the magnificent ocean liner sank on her maiden voyage with the loss of 1,500 passengers and crew. “I used to meet people, on a business or social level, introduce myself and they’d often ask me: ‘Are you related to the coward of the Titanic?’ ” That’s how he’s been portrayed down the years in films and books – as a villain – but I wanted to know the truth,” says Cliff, who has written a book on his ancestor. “I don’t think he was a hero but he was no coward either. During my own research I found he was responsible for actually saving lives as he patrolled the boat deck boats, both starboard and port sides, encouraging women and children to get into the lifeboats.

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Davies, Hannah J. “Titanic Sinks Tonight Review – It’s Like You’re Reliving That Terrifying Night.” The Guardian, December 28, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/dec/28/titanic-sinks-tonight-review-its-like-youre-reliving-that-terrifying-night.

Titanic Sinks Tonight is a part-documentary, part-drama series playing across four nights, its episodes constructed from letters and diaries written by those on board, as well as interviews the survivors would give in the decades after. On the strength of the two episodes released for review, there’s no denying that it sates our appetite for Titanic-themed content. However, in centring the words and memories of those who lived through the terror of that night, it restores much-needed agency to those people. It also does well to bring a sense of reality to events that can sometimes feel unreal on account of their ubiquity, and that uncanny valley of Titanic-themed media. Central to its success is the presence of experts such as historian Suzannah Lipscomb and former Royal Navy admiral Lord West, to sharpen the corners of the story that Hollywood has sanded down.

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Lloyd, Howard. “The Man From Cornwall Who Was at Titanic’s Wheel When Disaster Struck.” Cornwall Live, December 22, 2025. https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/man-cornwall-who-titanics-wheel-10719329.

When Robert Hichens, the quartermaster, took over the helm of RMS Titanic at 10pm on 14 April 1912, he had no inkling that in a few hours, he would be at the heart of one of the most catastrophic maritime disasters in history. Less than two hours into his shift, the 29 year old found himself wrestling with the wheel of the colossal ocean liner as it desperately tried to evade an iceberg in the icy North Atlantic. Hichens’ legacy has been marred by controversy. Post the sinking, he faced accusations ranging from steering in the wrong direction to avoid the iceberg, to being intoxicated in his lifeboat. He also declined to return to the site of the sinking to search for survivors – despite his lifeboat only being half-full – and later served time in prison for attempted murder.

Suggested Reading

[Titanic News Channel is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.]

Behe, G. (2012). On board RMS Titanic: Memories of the Maiden Voyage. The History Press.

Ballard, Robert D. Exploring the Titanic. Reprint. Madison Press Books, 2014.

Ballard, Robert D., and Rick Archbold. The Discovery of the Titanic. New York, N.Y.?: Warner Books, 1987.

Ballard, Robert D., Lost Liners: From the Titanic to the Andrea Doria the Ocean Floor Reveals Its Greatest Lost Ships(Hyperion, 1998).

Brewster, H. (2013). Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage: The Titanic’s First-Class Passengers and Their World. National Geographic Books.

Eaton John P. & Haas Charles, TITANIC TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY, SECOND EDITION, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, New York, 1995 First American Edition

Fitch, Tad, J. Kent Layton, and Bill Wormstedt. On a Sea of Glass: The Life & Loss of the RMS Titanic. Reprint. Amberley Publishing, 2015.

Lord, Walter, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, Holt Rinehart and Winston, New York, New York, 1955. Multiple revisions and reprints, notably Illustrated editions (1976,1977,1978 etc.)

Lord, Walter, THE NIGHT LIVES ON, Willian Morrow and Company, New York, New York, 1986 (First Edition)

Lynch, Don & Marshall Ken, TITANIC AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY, Madison Press Books, Toronto, Ontario Canada, 1992

Marshall, L. (2019). Sinking of the Titanic: The Greatest Disaster At Sea – Special Edition with Additional Photographs. Independently Published.

Rossignol, K. (2012). Titanic 1912: The Original News Reporting of the Sinking of the Titanic. Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.

Wilson, A. (2012). Shadow of the Titanic: The Extraordinary Stories of Those Who Survived. Simon and Schuster.

History, Holidays

Welcome to January

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Photo of Head of Janus
Vatican Museum, Rome
Source: Loudon Dodd (via Wikimedia)

January is the first month on the Gregorian and the Julian calendar. It is named after the Roman god of doors, Janus, as this month is a doorway into the new year. Janus is an interesting Roman god as he is two-faced. Thus, he can see both the future and the past. In January, you can see the previous year and view the upcoming one. The old Roman calendar ended in December and did not start up till March. This was changed later with the addition of January to replace March but was made official when the Julian calendar was adopted in 8 BC. The new Julian calendar used the solar cycle rather than the lunar making it more accurate. Unfortunately, its creator Sosigenes, an Alexandrian astronomer who helped create the Egyptian solar calendar, made a small mathematical error of 11 minutes and 14 seconds. Small but significant as the calendar started going out of sync with the solar cycle over time making it hard to use for holy days that required a precise measurement in order to be done at the correct date and time.

Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry Folio 1, verso: January
Part of Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry by Limbourg brothers (fl. 1402–1416)
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

This became apparent by the Middle Ages and calls for it to be resolved became more urgent. It was no longer minutes but by then 10 days. This would ultimately result in the Gregorian Calendar (named for Pope Gregory XIII) that was adopted in 1548 by the Catholic church and the Papal States. This resolved the major problem regarding the scheduling of Easter. Since however this was a civic reform, it was up to each nation to decide whether to implement or not. It would gradually be adopted by many countries. Spain was the first to switch over and that included much of Roman Catholic Europe. Protestant countries were not keen on changing right away since the reform was made by the Catholic Church. The British would adopt it 1750 but by a method to avoid saying it was from the Catholic Church. Sweden adopted in 1753. Turkey would switch to using the fiscal year as Gregorian in 1917 and then for the entire calendar in 1926. Russia, under the Communist government, changed in 1918. Greece would change in 1923. Saudi Arabia would formally adopt it in 2016. The change between calendars was startling at first. You might be in November and suddenly thirteen days back in October!

Eastern Orthodox denominations decided for religious purposes to use the Julian rather than Gregorian for their liturgical year (separate from the civic calendar). Which is why in countries  like Greece or Russia the celebration of Christmas and Easter is currently 13 days after it is celebrated elsewhere.

Sources

Boeckmann, Catherine. “The Month of January 2026: Holidays, Fun Facts, Folklore.” Almanac.Com. Last modified December 9, 2025. https://www.almanac.com/content/month-january-holidays-facts-folklore.

Tikkanen, Amy. “Why Does the New Year Start on January 1?” Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed December 31, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/story/why-does-the-new-year-start-on-january-1.

“The Month of January.” https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/months/january.html