With presents and parties foremost on the minds of many, the religious significance of the holiday season can take a backseat to some of the secular celebrations.
One of the religious celebrations of the season is Three Kings Day, also known as the Feast of the Epiphany and Dia de los Tres Reyes. Celebrated on Jan. 6, the Epiphany marks the 12th day of the Christmas holiday and remembers the three kings who came to bear gifts to the newborn baby Jesus.
According to the Bible, three kings, or wise men, named Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, saw a bright star in the sky the night Christ was born. They followed this star to Bethlehem where they found the child. There they presented Christ with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
“And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11)
Gold in the Bible is symbolic of God. It represents the most precious of metals and is rare in its purest form. The intrinsic value of gold has been established since ancient times and gold was used to honor kings.
Frankincense, also called olibanum, is a sap of the Boswellia. The tree is tapped, much as one would a maple tree for syrup, and the frankincense resin drips out in “tears.”
Frankincense was used for many reasons in ancient times, typically in religious ceremonies as an incense. The aroma of frankincense is said to represent life, and the Judaic, Christian, and Islamic faiths also used frankincense oils to anoint the young.
It has also been used in alternative medicine as a stomach aid. Ancient Egyptians used charred frankincense to make kohl, or the eye makeup distinctive of that region.
Myrrh is another tree resin and it comes from the Commiphora species. Myrrh was commonly used as a healing agent, especially an antiseptic. Ancient Greek soldiers carried it to treat and clean wounds earned in battle. Egyptians burned myrrh as part of rituals. It is also another substance burned during religious ceremonies.
Myrrh was also used in the embalming process in ancient times.
Historians and religious scholars say that the gifts given to Jesus by the three kings were quite appropriate. The gold represented his royalty, the frankincense his divinity and the myrrh his future death.
On Three Kings Day many people take down holiday decorations and officially call an end to the Christmas season. They may also exchange small gifts symbolic of the Epiphany.
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