CHARLOTTE, N.C. — This weekend marks the end of the Christmas season for many families worldwide.
Jan. 6 is recognized as Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day.
It occurs on the 12th day after Christmas, closing the holiday season.
The holiday commemorates the day the Magi, or wise men, came to Bethlehem to see the infant Jesus.
The National Gallery of Art cites the Gospel of Matthew, detailing how the wise men followed a star to Bethlehem in search of a newborn king, detailing how the wise men offered gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to baby Jesus.
Father Timothy Reid is a Catholic priest who serves as pastor for St. Ann Catholic Church. He’s also vicar of education for 20 Catholic schools in the Diocese of Charlotte.
“St. Ann’s has always been a very loving and warm community,” Reid said. “We’re a community with a lot of kids and lot of big families. It’s a great place to find a church home.”
St. Ann is one of many churches celebrating Three Kings Day.
“Our Christmas season is not just one day, it goes for weeks at a time,” Reid said.
Many Christians practice the “blessing of the home” tradition during Three Kings Day, which consists of prayer, sprinkling holy water throughout the house and using chalk to write three letters denoting the wise men’s initials and the current year on their front door.
This weekend, St. Ann will be providing Epiphany home blessing kits with those blessed items to families after the Mass service.
“It signals the manifestation of Christ,” Reid said. “This is a way of inviting Christ into their home and protect their home from evil. Holy water is important because the church has always blessed water as a means of fighting evil and driving away evil spirits.”
Reid says the blessing kits will be available all weekend for those who cannot attend the Saturday service.
Although Three Kings Day is widely recognized on Jan. 6, the Epiphany dates and celebrations differ by cultures and denominations, with many celebrating Epiphany on the first Sunday between Jan. 2 and Jan. 8.