Twelve days after Christmas, the day the magi reached the child. In Spain and Latin America the Three Kings, not Santa, bring the presents; in Germany children chalk C+M+B over the door.
6 January, twelve days after Christmas. Eastern churches keep the same date as Theophany, for the baptism in the Jordan rather than the visit of the magi.
The Phala almanac gives the exact day for your own city; the lunar and solar rules above are what it computes from.
The magi followed a star from the east and brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. Epiphany means a showing: the point of the day is that the child was shown to strangers, from outside the people he was born into.
The twelve days between Christmas and today are the reason for Twelfth Night, and in much of the Spanish-speaking world the presents come now, from the three kings, rather than on the 25th.
Videos from YouTube, each credited to its channel. Tap one to play it here, or open it on YouTube.
The Phala almanac shows this day where it falls for your own city — sunrise, tithi and all five limbs, anywhere on earth. See how the almanac works →
