Epiphany, or the traditional twelfth day of Christmas, is making a comeback in England, reports the Washington Post (Jan. 6).
There is a concerted drive both by churches and others interested in reviving national traditions to reintroduce the Twelfth Day celebrations in England after a long period of neglect. The Feast of the Epiphany marks the account in the Gospels of the three wise men arriving in Bethlehem. The feast, at least in Britain, also borrowed from pre-Christian pagan traditions that involved parties and celebrations.
Aside from churches increasingly holding Epiphany services to draw in the unchurched, there is now a “whole network of organizations working to revive local and national traditions,” says Dan Keech of the charity group Common Ground. There were more Twelfth Day celebrations this year than “any other time we can remember,” he adds. The article adds that there’s a “chance that the new energized Epiphany will eventually make its way to the west side of the Atlantic.”