This past weekend we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany that focuses on the three Magi coming to see the Christ child.  The Scriptures give us some idea of who they were. Being from the East and in being Magi, they would have been members of a king’s court and advisers.  But what do we know about them beyond the Scriptures?

The scriptures never name the Magi, nor ever state that there were three of them.  We come to that information through tradition.  The number three come from the idea that there were three gifts given to Christ.  In tradition, the names of the three are Caspar, Balthazar, and Melchior.  Each believed to have come from a different land:  Caspar coming from India, Balthazar coming from Arabia, and Melchior coming from Persia.  In one tradition, the star reappears before the feast of Christmas, and it was meant to be an indication to the three men that they would soon be dying.  They were buried together in India.  It was a few centuries later that St. Helen discovered the remains of the magi and brought them back to Constantinople.  These relics were transferred to Milan in the 12^th Century.  Eventually the relics found their final residing place in Cologne, Germany as a result of the rebellion of Milan against the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick I.  Today, the remains reside in the Cologne Cathedral and can be visited by pilgrims.

Several traditions have come from the feast of the Epiphany.  One of the traditions related to the feast is what we know as King Cake.  Traditionally, King Cakes start to make their appearance at Epiphany in recognition of the three Magi (sometimes referred to as the three kings).  A baby is often placed in the king cake representing the baby Jesus, and as the cake is eaten there is a search for the child.  The search parallels the search of the Magi for the infant child. 

A second tradition related to Epiphany is the chalk inscription people placed over doors.  I have seen these inscriptions over the doors at St. Francis Xavier School here in town.  This year the inscription would read 20+C+B+M+20.  At first glance, it seems like a math problem, but it really has two meanings behind it.  One is the first initial of each of the Magi surrounded by the year.  The other meaning is the letters represent the Latin phrase “Christus mansionem benedicat” which means “May Christ bless this house.”

As you can see, we have many traditions related to Epiphany that goes beyond the Scriptures.  Most importantly, they all point to the same thing: the search for Christ.  May we journey to find Christ, and may He pour His blessings over our lives.