WHO IS COMING
TO TOWN?
by Guiny
There are occasions we take for granted, what we are used to doing
is what happens all over the world. But we most try to make an
effort and discover there are as many differences as there are
countries; even in the same country there can be differences from
one city to another.
I guess that most of you can answer the question “Who is
coming to town?” and many might even sing it. At a very
young age, singing “Santa Claus is coming to town”
is a classic and usual thing to do. Parents and grandparents can
sing it with kids and teenagers.
But what happens when you follow the rituals of the Apostolic
and Roman Catholic Church? We do believe in Jesus, who was born
on a cold night of December; late at night (24) – very early
in the dawn (25). This is a big celebration and joyful moment;
except there are no presents for any one. Then the question would
be: if Santa doesn’t come on Christmas day; how do the presents
get there Christmas Eve?
The answer is easy, a few days after His birth, three Kings from
the East arrived to offer their gifts to the King of kings. Incense,
gold and myrrh (mur). Traditions identify a variety of different
names for the Magi. In the Western Christian church they have
been commonly known since the 8th century as Caspar, Melchior,
and Balthasar.
Christianity celebrates the Magi on the day of Epiphany, January
6, the last of the twelve days of Christmas, particularly in the
Spanish-speaking parts of the world. In these Spanish-speaking
areas, the three kings (Sp. "los Reyes Magos de Oriente",
also "Los Tres Reyes Magos") receive wish letters from
children and magically bring them gifts on the night before Epiphany.
In Spain, each one of the Magi is supposed to represent one different
continent, Europe (Caspar), Asia (Melchior) and Africa (Balthasar).
According to the tradition, the Magi come from the Orient on their
camels to visit the houses of all the children; much like Santa
Claus with his reindeer, they visit everyone in one night. In
some areas, children prepare a drink for each of the Magi, it
is also traditional to prepare food and drink for the camels,
because this is the only night of the year when they eat.
Spanish cities organize cabalgatas in the evening, in which the
kings and their servants parade and throw sweets to the children
(and parents) in attendance. The cavalcade of the three kings,
the participants who portray the kings, and pages walk through
the crowd, giving presents to the children directly.
Epiphany, January 6th, remembers the coming of the wise men bringing
gifts to visit the Christ child, who by so doing "reveal"
Jesus to the world as Lord and King. In some Central and South
American countries influenced by Catholic tradition, Three Kings’
Day, or the night before, is the time for opening Christmas presents.
In some eastern churches, Epiphany commemorates Jesus’ baptism,
with the visit of the Magi linked to Christmas. In some churches
the day is celebrated as Christmas.
Epiphany is the climax of the Advent/Christmas Season and the
Twelve Days of Christmas, which are usually counted from the evening
of December 25th until the morning of January 6th, which is the
Twelfth Day. In following this older custom of counting the days
beginning at sundown, the evening of January 5th is the Twelfth
Night. This is an occasion for feasting in some cultures, including
the baking of a special King's Cake as part of the festivities
of Epiphany.
As with most aspects of the Christian liturgical calendar, Epiphany
has theological significance as a teaching tool in the church.
The Wise Men or Magi who brought gifts to the child Jesus were
the first Gentiles to acknowledge Jesus as "King" and
so were the first to "show" or "reveal" Jesus
to a wider world as the incarnate Christ. This act of worship
by the Magi, which corresponded to Simeon’s blessing that
this child Jesus would be "a light for revelation to the
Gentiles" (Luke 2:32), was one of the first indications that
Jesus came for all people, of all nations, of all races, and that
the work of God in the world would not be limited to only a few.
The three gifts had a spiritual meaning: gold as a symbol of kingship
on earth, frankincense (an incense) as a symbol of priest ship,
and myrrh (an embalming oil) as a symbol of death. Sometimes this
is described more generally as gold symbolizing virtue, frankincense
symbolizing prayer, and myrrh symbolizing suffering.
Now today, we are lucky, as Santa comes with presents for all
the family, while the Three Kings keep visiting all the houses
to give presents to all, too.
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