The Epiphany celebrates the manifestation of Jesus Christ to the whole world, represented by the Magi, the wise men from the East who followed a star to Bethlehem. The word comes from the Greek epiphaneia, “appearance” or “manifestation.” It is one of the oldest and greatest feasts of the Church, older than Christmas itself in the East. Below is what the Epiphany means, when it is celebrated, the story and gifts of the Magi, the traditions of Three Kings Day, and prayers and a hymn for the feast.
When is the Epiphany?
The traditional date of the Epiphany is January 6, the twelfth day after Christmas. In the United States and many other countries, it is celebrated on the Sunday between January 2 and January 8. In 2027 the Epiphany falls on Sunday, January 3, 2027 in the United States, and on Wednesday, January 6 where it is kept on its traditional date.
In the universal law of the Church the Epiphany is a holy day of obligation, but where it is moved to a Sunday, as in the United States, the Sunday Mass fulfills the obligation. See holy days of obligation.
The story of the Magi
St. Matthew tells how wise men came from the East to worship the newborn King:
When Jesus therefore was born in Bethlehem of Juda, in the days of king Herod, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem.
Saying, Where is he that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to adore him.
Herod, troubled, sent them to Bethlehem, and the star led them on:
Who having heard the king, went their way; and behold the star which they had seen in the east, went before them, until it came and stood over where the child was.
And seeing the star they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
And entering into the house, they found the child with Mary his mother, and falling down they adored him; and opening their treasures, they offered him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The Gospel does not say how many Magi there were, or that they were kings. Christian tradition counted three, from their three gifts, saw in them kings in the light of Psalm 71 (72) and Isaias 60, and in the West gave them the names Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. Their relics are venerated in Cologne Cathedral in Germany.
What do the gifts mean?
From early times the Church Fathers saw in the three gifts a confession of who Jesus is:
- Gold for a King.
- Frankincense, burned in worship, for God.
- Myrrh, used to anoint the dead, for the Man who would suffer and die for us.
The meaning of the feast
The Magi were the first Gentiles, non-Jews, to worship Christ. In them the Church sees all the nations coming to the light of Christ, as the prophet Isaias foretold: “the Gentiles shall walk in thy light, and kings in the brightness of thy rising” (Isaias 60:3).
The ancient liturgy of the feast celebrates three manifestations of Christ’s glory together: the adoration of the Magi, the Baptism of the Lord in the Jordan, where the Father’s voice revealed him as the beloved Son, and the wedding at Cana, where he worked his first miracle. The Baptism of the Lord is now celebrated on the Sunday after the Epiphany, closing the Christmas season.
Epiphany traditions
- Three Kings Day (Día de los Reyes): in Spain, Latin America and the Philippines, children receive gifts on January 6, and families share the ring-shaped rosca de reyes, with a small figure of the Child Jesus hidden inside.
- King cake: in France (galette des rois) and Louisiana, a cake with a hidden bean or figure names the “king” of the day.
- Chalking the door: families bless their homes and write the year and the letters C+M+B over the door, for the Magi’s names and for Christus mansionem benedicat, “May Christ bless this house.” See the Epiphany house blessing.
- Epiphany water: in the Eastern Churches, and in the older Roman ritual, water is solemnly blessed on the Epiphany in memory of Christ’s baptism.
- The twelve days of Christmas end on the eve of the Epiphany, “Twelfth Night.”
The Epiphany proclamation
On the Epiphany, after the Gospel, the deacon or cantor may announce the date of Easter and the other great feasts of the coming year, a custom from the time when calendars were rare. For 2027 the main dates are:
| Feast | 2027 |
|---|---|
| Ash Wednesday | February 10 |
| Easter Sunday | March 28 |
| Ascension (Thursday, or the following Sunday in many places) | May 6 or May 9 |
| Pentecost | May 16 |
| Corpus Christi (Sunday) | May 30 |
| First Sunday of Advent | November 28 |
See the full liturgical calendar.
The prayer of the Epiphany
The traditional collect of the feast, from a 1916 daily missal:
O God, who on this day by the leading of a star didst reveal thine only begotten Son to the Gentiles, mercifully grant, that we who already know thee by faith may be led onward even to the contemplation of the beauty of thy Majesty. Through the same Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
A family prayer for Epiphany (written for this page):
Lord Jesus, the Magi followed your star and found you with Mary your Mother.
Lead our family to you, and let our home be a place where you are welcome.
Accept the gifts we bring: our work, our love and our hearts.
Make us a light for everyone we meet this year. Amen.
A hymn for the Epiphany
“We Three Kings of Orient Are” was written by John Henry Hopkins Jr., an Episcopal deacon, for a Christmas pageant in New York around 1857. Each of the middle verses is sung by one of the Magi, explaining his gift. The refrain is repeated after every verse.
We three kings of Orient are;
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.
Refrain:
O star of wonder, star of light,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.
Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again,
King forever, ceasing never,
Over us all to reign.
Frankincense to offer have I;
Incense owns a Deity nigh;
Prayer and praising, voices raising,
Worshipping God on high.
Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom;
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone cold tomb.
Glorious now behold Him arise;
King and God and sacrifice;
Alleluia, Alleluia,
Sounds through the earth and skies.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Epiphany in simple words?
The day the Church celebrates the wise men’s visit to the Child Jesus, showing that Jesus came to save all peoples, not one nation only.
Is the Epiphany a holy day of obligation?
In the universal Church, yes. In the United States and many other countries it is moved to a Sunday, so attending Sunday Mass fulfills the obligation.
How many wise men were there?
The Bible does not say. Tradition settled on three because of the three gifts.
When does the Christmas season end?
In the current Roman calendar, on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, usually the Sunday after the Epiphany (in 2027, Sunday, January 10).
More for the Christmas season
- Psalm 72 (the Epiphany psalm)
- We Three Kings
- What Child Is This?
- O Come, All Ye Faithful
- Baptism of the Lord
- Presentation of the Lord (Candlemas)
- Epiphany house blessing
- Catholic Christmas prayers
- Christmas Mass
- Feast of the Holy Family
- Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
- St. Andrew Christmas novena
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Matthew 2:1–2, 9–11; Isaias 60:3, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- Collect: The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916), Feast of the Epiphany, public domain (archive.org).
- Hymn: John Henry Hopkins Jr. (1857), public domain (Wikisource).
- Code of Canon Law, canon 1246; Catechism of the Catholic Church 528.
- The family prayer was written for this page.