Tag Archives: Magi

Christmas in July?

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Map of Bones Cvr

Shrine of the Three Magi, Cologne cathedral, Germany

Shrine of the Three Magi, Cologne cathedral, Germany

Shrine of the Three Magi, Cologne cathedral, Germany (another view).

Shrine of the Three Magi, Cologne cathedral, Germany
(another view).

Although the Magi are most often associated with Christmas and Epiphany on December 25 and January 6 each year, they are also associated with July 23, the day their bodies (relics) arrived in Cologne, Germany in 1164.

The relics of the Magi were taken from Milan by Holy Roman Emperor Fredrick Barbarossa and given to the Archbishop of Cologne, Rainald of Dassel in 1164. The Three Kings have since attracted a constant stream of pilgrims to Cologne. Parts of the shrine were designed by the famous medieval goldsmith Nicholas of Verdun, who began work on it in 1180 or 1181. It has elaborate gold sculptures of the prophets and apostles, and scenes from the life of Christ. The shrine was completed circa 1225.

Around 1199, King Otto gave three golden crowns made for the three wise men as a present to the church of Cologne. Because of the importance of the shrine and the cathedral for the later development of the city, the Coat of Arms of Cologne still shows these three crowns symbolizing the Three Kings.

Construction of the present Cologne Cathedral was begun in 1248 to house these important relics. The cathedral took 632 years to complete and is now the largest Gothic church in northern Europe.

Map of Bones, a great sci-fi thriller by James Rollins, begins with the celebration of the bones of the Magi in the Cologne cathedral.

A mystery, “The Bishop and the Three Kings” by Andrew Greeley, is about the theft of the shrine.

Read more about the shrine of the Magi in Cologne here.

Frankincense

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"Olibanum resin" by Peter Presslein - photo taken by Peter Presslein. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Olibanum_resin.jpg#/media/File:Olibanum_resin.j

“Olibanum resin” by Peter Presslein – photo taken by Peter Presslein. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Olibanum_resin.jpg#/media/File:Olibanum_resin.j

Frankincense, recognized as one of the gifts — together with gold and myrrh — that the Magi brought to the Christ Child, is derived from the resin of certain kinds of trees that grow in the Middle East and Africa. Called “frankincense” because the Franks had a near-monopoly on importing it into Western Europe during the Middle Ages, it has always been the one of the most precious (i.e. expensive!) kinds of incense available; hence, its association with gold as an appropriate gift for the Christ Child. (Nowadays, frankincense is still very expensive in most cases but can sometimes be purchased for more reasonable prices here.) Used in the Temple in Jerusalem before the Romans destroyed it in 70 A.D., frankincense is still burned year-round as incense in many Christian churches although some only use it at Christmas-time.

censing-in-church1

In many medieval sermons, frankincense was associated with death and resurrection because the phoenix was said to return to Egypt to set itself aflame in a frankincense tree. Burnt to ash in a fragrant cloud of incense, the famous nearly immortal bird was reborn as a small worm crawling from the ashes. This worm grew into a new phoenix. The air in the Garden of Eden was said to have smelled like frankincense, which is why devils and demons were said to still flee from burning frankincense since it reminds them of the Paradise they were driven from and are still denied.

Flowers and branches of the Boswellia sacra tree, the species from which most frankincense is derived

Flowers and branches of the Boswellia sacra tree, the species from which most frankincense is derived

The “pearls” or “tears” of frankincense resin melt when they are placed atop burning coals; the fragrant smoke is released as the resin melts. The fragrant smoke rising from the charcoal is often used as an image of prayer. Recipes for other scents or fragrances of incense are often perfumes added to frankincense, which remains the basis for much incense still used in the modern world.

(UPDATE: On December 7, 2015 this post was a record-breaker! It was clicked on 162 times, setting a new record for clicks-in-one-day on this site. THANK YOU TO ALL who helped set this new record!)

Twelfth Night, 2015

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Czech doors inscribed with Epiphany blessing

Czech doors inscribed with Epiphany blessing

Western Christians observe a twelve-day festival, starting on December 25, and ending on January 5, known as Christmastide or the Twelve Days of Christmas. Christmas ends with the celebration of Epiphany (January 6), the end of the Twelve Days.

On the Feast of the Epiphany, the priest, wearing white vestments, will bless the Epiphany water, frankincense, gold, and chalk. Chalk is used to write the initials of the three magi over the doors of churches and homes. The letters stand for the initials of the Magi (traditionally named Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar), and also the phrase Christus mansionem benedicat, which translates as “may Christ bless the house”.

In the 15th century, the Magi were also invoked to protect epileptics from seizures. They were named in all-purpose conjurations of various sorts and were considered extremely powerful figures. Their relics are said to be housed in the cathedral of Cologne (beginning in the late 1100s) and were an important destination for pilgrims in the following centuries.

There is also a legend that all the water in a house will become wine (at midnight?) on Epiphany Eve; this ties in with the commemoration of the wedding at Cana, when Jesus turned water into wine, which is a secondary or even tertiary theme of the Epiphany festival.

According to ancient custom, the priest announced the date of Easter on the feast of Epiphany. This tradition dated from a time when calendars were not readily available, and the church needed to publicize the date of Easter, since many celebrations of the liturgical year depend on it. The proclamation may be sung or proclaimed at the ambo by a deacon, cantor, or reader either after the reading of the Gospel or after the post-communion prayer. (In New York City, the only church I know to do this according to the proper chant is the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, commonly known as “Smokey Mary’s,” in Times Square.)