Growing up in Southern California I was exposed to many different cultures and races of people. In my home town of La Crescenta there was a large community of Armenians immigrants. For the 13 years that I was in public schools I always heard about Armenians Christmas, January 6th. My fellow Armenian classmates would take the day off and celebrate this holy day with their extended family. Celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and the arrival of the Magi.
January 6th is also known as the Epiphany holiday, along with Christmas and Easter it is one of the most celebrated days on the Christan calendar. On this day the Magi, three wise men, presented their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the baby Jesus.
Christians now celebrate the actual birth of Christ on December 25th, except for Armenians who choose to stay with January 6th which is now a holiday in the Glendale Unified School District in California, and is titled Armenian Christmas.
I see now the reason behind celebrating this day, where as before I was in the dark and had no idea that Epiphany was an actual holiday, celebrated by some of my closest and most dearest friends I grew up with, learned with, and played with. Could this be an epiphany for myself, seeing the holiday for what it really is?
A day devoted to epiphany.
~L.
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