"Where is He who is born King of the Jews, for we have
seen His star in the East, and have come to worship Him?"
Twelfth Night and the Epiphany are often overlooked and misunderstood holidays. As a kid, I assuredly thought the twelve days of Christmas must be the two weeks leading up to the big event because the only thing that happened twelve days after Christmas was having to go back to school.
I also firmly believed, that like a celestial Cecil B. DeMille, God made the stable set appear, complete with manger, whatever that was; called in the angel in charge of animal wrangling (which was no small job with a flock of sheep, lambs, a cow, a donkey, and not one, but three camels); and populated the scene out of Savior Studios central casting (with authentic period costumes and makeup). What can I say? I grew up in the age of television.
Simply put, Twelfth Night is to Epiphany, what Christmas Eve is to Christmas. Twelfth Night is celebrated on the evening of the 5th of January, and since medieval times has served as an occasion for mirth and merrymaking.
The root of the word epiphany translates from ancient Greek as "striking appearance." The word has always held a connection with the divine, for assuredly, such profound leaps in understanding must come from a higher power. It should come as no surprise that the word used to describe such scientific, philosophical, and spiritual enlightenment would come to symbolize the "striking appearance" of the Son of God on earth.
The Feast of the Epiphany, observed on January 6th, commemorates the visit of the wise men to the birthplace of the Christ child. The wonder of God the Son, manifested as a human infant, and the realization that this helpless babe on a bed of straw had come to save the world was the greatest epiphany of all.
Nativity scenes would not be complete without the three colorfully dressed "kings" and their camels. In actuality, it is very doubtful that these men were kings, and were more likely to have been so-called wise men or magi (from whence we get the word magic). These magi would have been keen astrologers, and the Star of Bethlehem, with all its attendant portents, would have interested them greatly.
According to the Gospel of Matthew (the only one that mentions them), the names traditionally given to these travelers are Caspar, Balthazar, and Melchior. The two things I most closely associate with the Magi are the Little Drummer Boy, and the gifts they bore.
Caspar, believed to be from India, is most often depicted as an aged philosopher bearing the gift of gold. Melchior, a middle-aged scholar, who hailed from Persia, presented the infant with frankincense. Balthazar, from Arabia, a black-skinned young man, offered myrrh.
The gifts themselves hold dual meaning. Gold would have been used as support for the baby's family, but also as a symbol of kingship. Frankincense (not to be confused with Frankenstein) was a perfume that would have been used to mask the smells of the stable, but also as a symbol of deity. Myrrh would have been used as an anointing oil for the child's skin, but myrrh was also used in embalming, and therefore a symbol of death.
"Here we come a-wassailing among the leaves so green,
here we come a-wand'ring so fair to be seen.
Love and joy come to you, and to you your wassail, too,
and God bless you, and send you a Happy New Year."
Food and drink are the center of the celebration. A traditional punch called wassail, which goes back many centuries, is consumed on Twelfth Night.
Wassail
Ingredients
6 whole cloves
6 whole allspice
12 whole white peppercorns
3 cinnamon sticks (for spice sachet)
1/2 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup (approx) light brown sugar
4 sweet apples (look for such varieties as Braeburn, Cortland, or Ambrosia - a sweet modern apple, from western Canada, similar to Golden Delicious)
2 quarts hard apple cider
1/2 cup brandy
6 large eggs, separated
Freshly grated nutmeg and 1 cinnamon stick per drink, for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a melon baller or paring knife to scoop out the cores of the apples from the top without going all the way through the apples. Carefully fill each apple with brown sugar. Place the apples on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake the apples for forty minutes.
While the apples bake, pour hard apple cider and brandy into a Dutch oven, and warm over low-medium heat. Do not bring the wassail to a boil. You will burn off the alcohol, and what would be the fun in that?
Make a sachet of spices. Place allspice, cloves, peppercorns, and cinnamon sticks into multiple folds of cheesecloth, and tie with white cotton kitchen twine. Float sachet in the wassail as it warms. Add ginger root slices to the wassail as it warms.
In a small mixing bowl, beat egg yolks until light in color and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whip egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg yolks into whites, then temper the eggs by slowly pouring one-half cup wassail into the eggs.
Remove the spice sachet and ginger slices from the wassail, and pour in the tempered eggs. Transfer to a punch bowl. Float baked apples in the wassail (to be eaten for dessert after wassail is consumed). Serve by the mug. Grate a sprinkling of nutmeg over each mug, and finish with a cinnamon stick.
Since the Middle Ages, holiday greenery was decorated with edible ornaments. Treats were rare, and the Christmas tree was lovingly hung with nuts, cookies, and candies. Swags and garlands were adorned with exotic fruits like oranges, pomegranates, and pineapples. When the tree and other evergreens were taken down on Twelfth Night, to the delight of adult and child alike, the goodies were eaten along with the other foods of the feast.
It is considered unlucky to leave Christmas decorations up after Twelfth Night, however, truth be told, we wait until the day after Epiphany to start the lengthy process of taking down our stuff.
In modern culture, the date is best known for the much maligned and universally parodied Christmas carol, "The Twelve Days of Christmas." With its geese a laying, maids a milking, ladies dancing, lords a leaping, and ubiquitous partridge, the version we recognize today was first printed in English in 1780 in a children's book called "Mirth without Mischief."
We celebrate with a Mediterranean menu. We particularly like lamb for Twelfth Night, particularly, Mediterranean Lamb Shoulder, but try incorporating pomegranates, pistachios, pita bread, olives, dates, figs, curries, and exotic spices such as star anise, cardamom, and saffron into your meal. Of course, a camel hump roast is always welcome.
Be sure to enjoy a bright, fruity, semi-sweet wine. Israel now produces some excellent vintages, far beyond Mogen David Concord grape. Your local sommelier will be pleased to help you make a selection.
We move our nativity set to the table as a centerpiece before packing it away. That being said, however, there is one oversight regarding the Nativity which I take personally. There is no cat. Surely, where there are straw, grain, and hay, there are mice, and where there are mice, there are cats. No self-respecting stable cat could curb its curiosity enough to not keenly observe such goings-on. I shall not rest until there is a cat included in every manger set.
Ingredients
3 lbs boneless lamb shoulder roast
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
6 shallots, quartered
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Combine garlic, rosemary, lemon zest, salt and pepper; rub all over lamb. Place in slow cooker. Whisk lemon juice with honey; pour over lamb. Add shallots. Cover and cook on low until lamb is tender, 7 to 8 hours.
Remove lamb to cutting board; tent with foil and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. While lamb is resting, skim fat from cooking liquid. Whisk cornstarch with 2 teaspoons water; whisk into slow cooker. Cover and cook on high until thickened, about 10 minutes. Serve with lamb.
Light some candles. If you haven't already eaten your Christmas fruitcake, now would be a perfect time. Be sure to offer each other a final toast of the season as a sustenance against the darkest days of winter yet to come.
Epiphany is a fitting close to a holiday season that for us starts in September with preparations for the fall and winter festivals - a whirlwind of decorating, cooking, visiting, and activities. A time of special food, special music, special TV shows, special movies, and special memories - old and new.
And remember, no matter what you wind up serving for Twelfth Night, be sure to listen to this droll classic while you are preparing it - “The Twelve Days of Christmas” by the Vienna Boys Choir: youtube.com/watch?v=vXpJ5-OzeHg
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