Epiphany 2027

Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day or Theophany, is an ancient Christian holiday that celebrates the arrival of the Magi (the "Three Wise Men") to honor the newborn Jesus. The holiday is celebrated on January 6 as the 12th day of Christmas by many churches, and in 2027, Epiphany occurs on Wednesday, January 6.

However, since 1970 the U.S. Catholic church celebrates the holiday on the first Sunday after January 1, which falls on January 3, 2027. Meanwhile, the Eastern Orthodox church—which follows the Julian calendar—celebrates on Tuesday, January 19, 2027, as the day that Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River.

Traditions also vary by region: In many Spanish-speaking countries, children receive presents on Día de Los Reyes (Three Kings Day) instead of or in addition to Christmas. The Irish consider it bad luck to take down their Christmas trees until Epiphany. And in Russia, some brave believers observe Epiphany by “baptizing” themselves in frigid lakes, an Eastern Orthodox tradition.  

Epiphany is derived from the Greek word epiphaneia, meaning “manifestation.” Before Christmas was its own holiday, the early Christian church established the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6 to commemorate several miraculous events that “manifested” Jesus’ divinity: his virgin birth, the visitation of the Magi, his baptism and when he turned water into wine at the Wedding of Cana.

By the early fourth century, the church set aside December 25 for the celebration of Jesus’ birth, known as Nativity, and kept Epiphany on January 6.

Over the centuries, after the Great Schism of 1054 separated Christianity into western and eastern branches, two distinct lines of tradition developed. While Western churches celebrated Epiphany as the day that the Magi visited Jesus, Eastern Orthodox churches associated Theophany with Jesus’ baptism.

Epiphany has marked the end of the 12 days of Christmas for centuries. In the Middle Ages, the Christmas holiday was celebrated with feasting and singing every night from Christmas Day through Epiphany. Using some creative math—December 25 was the first night and December 26 the first day—that totaled 12 straight days of merriment.

The final night on January 5 is called Twelfth Night. In the Tudor era, the English commonly held lavish parities on Epiphany Eve that grew to include plays. William Shakespeare named one of his plays after the event, and “Twelfth Night” is believed to have been performed for the first time on Epiphany in 1601.

Although Epiphany marks the end of the Christmas season, it is also a beginning. For many cities around the globe, including New Orleans, the holiday starts the season of Carnival in the lead up to Mardi Gras.

Feasts and home blessings are common Epiphany customs. Some cultures “chalk the door” on Twelfth Night as a way to sanctify houses and publicly declare their Christian faith. The chalk symbols include the year and the letters C, M and B for Christus mansionem benedicat, a Latin phrase meaning “May Christ bless this house.”

In Spain and most of Latin America, Epiphany is better known as Three Kings Day, and festivities often include parades. The night before the holiday, children leave out shoes in expectation of gifts from Los Reyes Magos or the Three Wise Men: Balthazar, Melchior and Gaspar. In Puerto Rico, children fill small boxes with grass or hay for the three kings' camels and horses. 

The traditional food of Three Kings Day is Rosca de Reyes, a sugar-dusted cake studded with dried fruit and containing a small plastic baby figurine symbolizing the newborn Jesus. In Mexico, the person who finds the plastic Jesus in their cake slice must host a tamale party on Candlemas (February 2).

In Ireland, Epiphany is also known as “Women’s Christmas” or “Little Christmas.” Traditionally, it was a day for women to rest after the long, busy holiday season and for the men to take over household duties. That includes taking down Christmas decorations, as doing so before Epiphany is considered bad luck. This widespread belief has led to many people across the globe keeping their Christmas trees up until January 6.

The United Kingdom has a long history of “wassailing” on Twelfth Night. Brits sing songs door-to-door in between swigs of hot mulled cider. In some areas, people go caroling through fruit orchards to bless the trees. They also enjoy slices of Twelfth Night Cake, which traditionally has a single bean or pea hidden inside.

In Greece, which follows the Eastern Orthodox tradition linking Epiphany with Jesus’ baptism, priests bless the waters within churches and out in nature. Some Greek towns hold contests to see which swimmer will retrieve a cross thrown by a priest into the sea (or other body of water). The swimmer who wins the contest receives a special blessing from the priest and is expected to have good luck for the rest of the year.

Baptisms historically occurred on Epiphany. In a nod to that custom, it’s an Epiphany tradition in Russia to submerge yourself in an icy lake or other body of water three times to symbolize the Holy Trinity.

Italy has its own colorful Epiphany traditions: On Twelfth Night, an old woman named La Befana is said to fly on a broom from house to house to deliver candy for good children or coal for bad children. According to tradition, La Befana gave shelter to the Three Kings on their journey.

La Befana might have evolved from myths associated with the ancient celebrations of the winter solstice, in which magical women on broomsticks would fly over the fields to bless the harvest.