Epiphany Tradition

Subject: Epiphany Tradition
From: DMcG
Date: 06 Jan 08 - 06:31 PM

There is an Epiphany tradition that I am aware of that is well established in southern Germany and I have also encountered in northern Germany but that I met with for the first time today in the UK. As this may be an 'early sighting' I thought it worth documenting in some detail. If it is actually already well established in the UK and I've just missed it, I apologise.

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On the 6th January, the tradition is to mark doors with the symbols 20+C+M+B+08 (or 20-09, 20-10 etc as appropriate for that year.) The C+M+B represents the traditional names of the three Kings: Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. This first took place in Hatfield, Hertfordshire in 2007, when the local parish priest, Fr Philip Knights, was asked by some Polish parishners to bless some chalk so they could carry out the tradition. He decided instead to provide blessed chalk for the entire congregation and suggest they might like to do the same.

There are two differences from the German version as I have encountered it. Firstly, there the blessing takes place on Church doors whereas the Polish/UK version seems to be the home. Secondly, an alternative meaning for C+M+B is given "Christus Mansionem Benedicat" - Christ, bless this home.

I'd be interested to hear of other UK sitings of this.

Subject: RE: Epiphany Tradition
From: Joe Offer
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 01:03 AM

Having been married into a Polish family for only six years now, I haven't completely figured out what our traditions are. We have borscht and oplatek (Christmas wafer) on Christmas eve, of course. On Epiphany, my wife and her 93-yr-old mother start taking down Christmas decorations, and then they start cutting out paper snowflakes and forget all about the Christmas decorations until February. In the meantime, the boxes for the decorations sit in the living room.
I being merely the husband, havent figured all this out yet. I caught myself saying that I sometimes think I am married to two Polish women, my wife and her mother. I think this makes me bipolar, doesn't it?
Sorry, gotta go.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Epiphany Tradition
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 01:53 AM

Ah, that could explain the fireworks we heard last night then... lots of Polish people live in this area.

LTS

Subject: RE: Epiphany Tradition
From: KT
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 03:31 AM

I first encountered this tradition in Alaska, thirty years ago. Never heard the latin translation before though.

Subject: RE: Epiphany Tradition
From: Amos
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 04:01 AM

Thanks for the grin, Joe!


A

Subject: RE: Epiphany Tradition
From: Anne Lister
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 04:50 AM

Moving slightly off topic, I'm intrigued by our own traditions on January 6th. It's generally agreed that we need to take down our decorations by midnight, risking bad luck if we don't. However, in our copy of Chambers Book of Days (1897) it's stated that decorations need to be taken down by Candlemas (which is February 2nd) or risk the bad luck. Someone has come up with another quote from 1927, saying it should be January 6th. So -- at what point between 1897 and 1927 did people decide that the date should shift to Epiphany from Candlemas? It seems odd, especially as Epiphany is a celebration in its own right, and the Orthodox Church celebrate Christmas then, too.

Subject: RE: Epiphany Tradition
From: sian, west wales
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 06:03 AM

Don't sweat it, Tabster. If the 13th is Old New Year, you've got bags of time!

The 5th is the night the stable animals are supposed to kneel in their stalls, isn't it?

I know that the season for Plygain carols and services extends to Candlemas. I think that the 'Plygain Fawr' - the 'Great Plygain' - will have been held yesterday in Llanfihangel-yng-Ngwynfa. I went to a small local one in Llanwinio - took Gwilym and Carol Davies with me as they were in the area.

And this is also the time for the games of "Bel Ddu" (black ball) or Cnapan, at least here in south west wales. You know the sort of thing: village vs. village throwing a pig's bladder about with no rules and as much blood as possible. Apparently in Mwnt the day is referred to as "Sul Coch Mwnt" (Mwnt's Red Sunday).

Haven't seen any marked doors around here, though we have a fair number of Polish people. They're mostly young, though, so maybe that makes a difference. I do know that some of our small shops - the one in Llanybydder particularly - have become the next best thing to Polish delicatessens and a lot of supermarkets stocked up on carp for the first time this Christmas. Still, a Polish friend of mine says that she'd be just as happy not eating carp; says it doesn't taste particularly nice.

sian

Subject: RE: Epiphany Tradition
From: Wilfried Schaum
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 06:19 AM

The German tradition is observed in entire Germany where Catholics live. Children are sent out from their local church in groups of three, masceraded as Oriental and African kings, carrying a paper star. Because of the big star they are called starsingers.
They go from house to house and sing a traditional starsinger song, collecting money for social projects of the Catholic Church. After the ceremony they write the year and CMB on the lintel with chalk in this form: 20+C+M+B+08.
This year the bishop of Fulda assembled as many children as possible from his dioecese and sent them out some days before Epiohanias.

Subject: RE: Epiphany Tradition
From: Wilfried Schaum
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 06:20 AM

last word of my post: Epiphanias

Subject: RE: Epiphany Tradition
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 06:40 AM

sorry I thought it was about a range of guitars - not to be cofused with the Epiphone Tradition!

Subject: RE: Epiphany Tradition
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 07:35 AM

Epiphany on 6th January is the last day of Christmas itself - but the Christmas liturgical season runs until Candlemas, and cribs in Catholic churches generally remain until then.

Subject: RE: Epiphany Tradition
From: Anne Lister
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 08:25 AM

Absolutely, McGrath ... which is why I'm still puzzled about why it's a generally held practice to take down the decorations on the 6th, and accompanied with a superstition that it will bring on bad luck if you don't! And why the generally held practice seems to have changed from Candlemas to Epiphany between 1897 and 1927 ... what happened????

Anne

Subject: RE: Epiphany Tradition
From: IanC
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 09:01 AM

Tabster

When Charles II (I think it was him) was reigning, people were taking the whole 6 weeks off between Christmas and Candlemas. This was fine for a medieval rural community where there was precious little to do at that time of year and people were in danger of starving.

Charles thought this was a bit off, what with the world changing and all, and decreed that Christmas would only last 12 days. Thereafter, that's when Christmas ended. There are a few Tudor poems about the decorations coming down at Candlemas.

I think it's likely that quite a few of the post-christmas begging customs also started at about this time. It's quite clear that - at least during the 19th Century - rural labourers struggled severely during this period.

:-)
Ian

Subject: RE: Epiphany Tradition
From: Anne Lister
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 12:07 PM

Thanks, Ian, but if you're right how come in 1897 (well after Chas II) it was still considered more usual to leave the decorations up until Candlemas?

Anne

Subject: RE: Epiphany Tradition
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 12:09 PM

I noticed yesterday a rare pile of Christmas trees building up in the local designated dumping spot by Fairhaven Lake, reminding me of the days when as kids we'd go round the houses collecting the old trees for an improptu 12th night bonfire in the fields with the dry old trees going up a roaring treat; especially the needles, sending crackling sparks high into the air.

Subject: RE: Epiphany Tradition
From: GUEST,volgadon
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 12:49 PM

For the Pravoslavny Church (Russian Orthodox), the 7th of Jan is Christmas, kind of a minor holiday.

Subject: RE: Epiphany Tradition
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 12:51 PM

We get trees with roots and plant them.

Subject: RE: Epiphany Tradition
From: IanC
Date: 08 Jan 08 - 03:51 AM

Perhaps some people change faster than others.

Subject: RE: Epiphany Tradition
From: GUEST,LTS pretending to work
Date: 08 Jan 08 - 06:20 AM

It sort of harks back to the old calendar, which was changed in 1752, taking out the first 11 days of September to bring us in line with a lot of other places. People were outraged and wanted their 11 days back. The old December 25th became the new January 5th. The "superstition" of bad luck if you were still celebrating Christmas on the 6th Jan was a way of getting uneducated, superstitious country folk to adhere to the new calendar.

LTS

Subject: RE: Epiphany Tradition
From: GUEST,Monique
Date: 08 Jan 08 - 09:28 AM

In France, we eat a "galette", a round shaped puff pastry cake filled with almonds + sugar + butter filling or a "royaume" (kingdom) crown shaped bun with candied fruit and sugar on top . There's a trinket inside called "fève" because a long time ago, it was a real fava bean. When the cake is cut, the youngest child goes under the table and is asked "who's this piece for?" he says someone's name and so on. The one who finds the trinket hidden in his/her piece puts on the cardboard crown that the baker gives along with the cake, s/he's the King or the Queen of the day and usually, s/he's to buy another cake that will be shared and the one who finds the trinket etc etc. When someone gets the trinket for the second time, one who hasn't gotten it yet decides to be the next one to buy the cake. This can last till the end of January... just in time to switch to eating crêpes on Candelmass day! You can see what it looks like and the recipe here Epiphany
In Spain, it's when the Kings bring the kids their Christmas gifts. They also have a crown shaped bun called "roscón de reyes"

Subject: RE: Epiphany Tradition
From: Anne Lister
Date: 08 Jan 08 - 01:31 PM

LTS and everyone else who has pointed to the calendar shift - this still doesn't explain the puzzle I've posed. The calendar shift happened WELL before 1897, but in 1897 it was still the superstition that decorations had to be down by Candlemas to avoid incurring bad luck. In a piece of text someone else has unearthed for me, by 1927 this had changed to Jan 6th. That's a pretty small window of time - 30 years - in which a fairly major shift in the superstition seems to have taken place. No one has yet come up with any explanation for this.

Anne

Subject: RE: Epiphany Tradition
From: sian, west wales
Date: 09 Jan 08 - 04:25 AM

OK - just to further the confusion, and add to the thread drift ...

I was leafing through The Oxford Book of Carols last night and came across:

126. Candlemas Eve

words: R. Herrick (I googled and I think his dates are 1591-1674)

Down with the rosemary and bays,
Down with the mistletoe;
Instead of holly, now upraise
The greener box, for show.

The holly hitherto did sway:
Let box now domineer
Until the dancing Easter Day,
Or Easter's Eve appear.

Then youthful box, which now hath grace
You houses to renew,
Grown old, surrender must his place
Unto the crisped yew.

When yew is out, then birch comes in,
And many flowers beside,
Both of a fresh and fragant kind,
To honour Whitsuntide.

Green rushes then, and sweetest bents,
With cooler oaken boughs,
Come in for comely ornaments
To readorn the house.

Thus times do shift, thus times do shift;
Each thing his turn does hold;
New things succeed, new things succeed,
As former things grow old.

So ... does this mean that houses might have been decorated for various ecclesiastical seasons, apart from Christmas?

sian

Subject: RE: Epiphany Tradition
From: Anne Lister
Date: 09 Jan 08 - 11:43 AM

Probably, Sian!

Anne