In Spain and some Latin American countries, particularly in
Puerto Rico, Epiphany or Theophany day (Jan 6th),is called
El Día de los Reyes (The Day of the Kings) i.e., the day when
a group of Kings or Magi, as related in the second chapter of
the Gospel of St. Matthew, arrived to worship Jesus and
brought three magnificent gifts for Him, frankincense, gold
and myrrh.
In Puerto Rico, it is traditional for children to fill a box with
fresh grass and put it underneath their bed along with a bowl
of water, for the Wise Men's camels. The three kings will then
take the water and the grass, feed the camels. and leave gifts
under the bed as a reward.
I still remember how exciting it was trying to stay awake so
I could catch the moment when the Magi's camels would eat
the grass and drink the water. Of course I was never able to
witness the moment when the exchange took place. What a
joy it was to behold the wonder of gifts been left under my
bed!
Now as an Orthodox Christian I realize the magnitude of
the events we celebrate, God has come in the flesh! God is
God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Trinity One in
Essence and undivided. Our Lord Jesus Christ is His only
begotten Son.
"St Gregory the Theologian says that Christ had no need
of purification, since He is purification itself, but He was
purified for us, i.e. He entered the Jordan as also wearing
flesh...Thus through His Baptism and Christmation, Christ
purifies and illumines mankind." M. Hierotheos Vlachos in
'The Feasts of the Lord' p.113, Birth of the Theotokos Monastery
2003.
An Orthodox Diver retrieves the cross
"Blessing of Waters: The Orthodox Churches perform
the Great Blessing of Waters on Theophany. The blessing
is normally done twice: once on the Eve of the Feast—
usually at a Baptismal Font inside the church—and then
again on the day of the feast, outdoors at a body of water.
Following the Divine Liturgy (the Orthodox Eucharistic
service), the clergy and people go in a Crucession
(procession with the cross) to the nearest body of water,
be it a beach, harbor, quay, river, lake, swimming pool,
water depot, etc. (ideally, it should be a body of "living
water"). At the end of the ceremony the priest will bless
the waters. In the Greek practice, he does this by casting
a cross into the water.
If swimming is feasible on the spot, any number of
volunteers may try to recover the cross. The person who
gets the cross first swims back and returns it to the priest,
who then delivers a special blessing to the swimmer and their
household. Certain such ceremonies have achieved particular
prominence, such as the one held annually at Tarpon Springs,
Florida. In Russia, where the winters are severe, a hole will be
cut into the ice so that the waters may be blessed. In such
conditions, the cross is not cast into the water, but is held
securely by the priest and dipped three times into the water.
The water that is blessed on this day is known as "Theophany
Water" and is taken home by the faithful, and used with prayer
as a blessing. People will not only bless themselves and their
homes by sprinkling with Theophany Water, but will also drink
it. The Orthodox Church teaches that Theophany Water differs
from regular holy water in that with Theophany Water, the
very nature of the water is changed and becomes incorrupt, a
miracle attested to as early as St John Chrysostom's time.
Theophany is a traditional day for performing baptisms, and this
is reflected in the Divine Liturgy by singing the baptismal hymn,
"As many as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ,
Alleluia," in place of the Trisagion prayer." Source
"And without controversy great is the mystery of
godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified
in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the
Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in
glory." 1 Tim. 3:16
Glory to Our Lord Jesus Christ who was baptized in the
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