On January 6th, in our Liturgical calendar, we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, otherwise known as Three Kings Day. The day the three kings, Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar brought a gift for Baby Jesus, the King of kings. Here is how we celebrated the Epiphany in five fun steps:
“Bless, O Lord God, this creature chalk to render it helpful to your people. Grant that they who use it in faith and with it inscribe upon the doors of their homes the names of your saints, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, may through their merits and intercession enjoy health of body and protection of soul.
Through Christ our Lord.”
Fourth, we sang “We Three Kings”
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.Refrain
Frankincense to offer have I;
Incense owns a Deity nigh;
Prayer and praising, voices raising,
Worshiping God on high.Refrain
Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom;
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone cold tomb.Refrain
Glorious now behold Him arise;
King and God and sacrifice;
Alleluia, Alleluia,
Sounds through the earth and skies.Refrain
Finally, we baked a delicious Three Kings Ring.
:
- To make the Dough, you will need:
2/3 c. warm milk
1/4 c. warm water
2 eggs, room temp
3 T. butter, cut up
4 c. bread flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. salt
2 t. yeast
- To make the filling, you will need:
1/3 c. sugar
2 t. cinnamon
1 c. dried fruit (I used raisins)
1/4 c. butter softened
- To make the orange icing, you will need:
1 c. confectioner’s sugar
1/4 t. vanilla
enough o.j. (3-4 t.) to make icing of a drizzling capacity
:
1. Mix dough ingredients together and then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes.
2. Roll dough into a ball and put in lightly oiled bowl and cover and let rise until doubled in volume, about an hour.
4. Brush dough with the softened butter and top with the sugar/cinnamon and raisin filling.
6. Using a sharp knife make 12 slashes in the top of the dough all the way around (represents the 12 days of Christmas).
7. Cover the dough and let rise again until doubled in size, about another hour.
What did your domestic church do to celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany?
Thanks for explaining the 20+C+M+B+11. I had seen it before but never understood it.
We studied stars for science, baked star shaped cookies, grandma moved the three kings closer to the nativity. At night we ate the cookies while we watched The Very First Noel, a really cute digitally animated movie narrated by one of the kings as they journey following the star.
Then on Friday night we went to the observatory to look at stars.