Q. Querido Rabino. Is January 6 a day to avoid weddings since it is a Christian Holiday? How about here in Mexico or in other countries with very sizable Catholic congregations. Is it like Nitel night and learning of Torah should also be avoided.
A. Many Christians around the world annually celebrate Epiphany on January 6. It is a public holiday in many Catholic countries and marks two events in Yoshke’s life, according to their Bible. The first event was when the three wise men, or kings, visited infant Yoshke. The second event was when St John the Baptist baptized that baby.
January 6, which is 12 days after Christmas in the Gregorian calendar, and marks not only the end of the Christmas holidays but also the start of the Carnival season, which climaxes with Mardi Gras.
In some European countries, such as the Czech Republic and Slovakia, children dress as the three kings and visit houses. In their roles as the kings, or wise men, they sing about their deity’s birth and pay homage to the “king of kings”. They are rewarded with praise and cookies.
Dia de los Reyes Magos (The day of the Magic Kings), is the Latin American celebration of Epiphany. In many Latin American countries including Mexico, it is the three wise men and not Santa Claus who bring gifts for children.
Children write letters to the wise men telling them how good they were and what gifts they want. In France Le Jour des Rois (the Day of Kings), sometimes called the Fête des Rois, is celebrated with parties for children and adults. The galette des rois, or “cake of kings”, highlights these celebrations. This cake is round and flat, cut into the pantry, covered with a white napkin and carried into a dining room.
Children in Spain, France and most Latin American counties fill their shoes with straw or grain for the three kings’ horses to eat and place them on balconies or by the front door on Epiphany Eve. The next day they find cookies, sweets or gifts in their place. The “three kings” make an entry in many cities on Epiphany Eve, accompanied by military bands and drummers in medieval dress.
As much as this holiday is very public and much promoted in those countries. It did not acquire the Halachos of Nitel for most Kehilos, and weddings are performed and the learning of Torah is also not interrupted.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by, Horav Dovid Pam, Horav Aharon Miller, Horav Chanoch Ehrentreu and Horav Kalman Ochs Shlit'a
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