In early writings, January 6 was the date commemorating the Epiphany or divine revelation to the disciples of God, the baptism of Jesus, the miracle of the Weddings of Canaan and the Nativity. In the West, the Epiphany, or adoration of the Magi, was not celebrated until the fifth century, when the decision was made to separate it from Christmas or the Nativity, which falls on the 25th of December.
The Origin of the Main Characters
Originally, the Kings were usually represented in pairs and were described only as Wise Men. It wasn't until the fourth century that the number three began to predominate. Their names, as we know them today, were revealed a century later. It wasn't until the 6th century that they were given the title of Kings. It was during the 16th century that a racial feature was introduced, with Balthazar being described for the first time as black. The three kings were named Sem, Cam and Jafet, Noah's three sons who, according to the Old Testament, represented the three races that populated the world. Melchior, the white-haired elder, represented the descendants of Jafet, i.e., Europeans, who offer the Christ-child a golden gift as testament to His royal bearing. The fair-haired and beardless Caspar represented the Semites of Asia, whose most precious gift was incense, bestowed as a symbol of His divinity. Finally, Balthazar, a bearded black man, represented the African descendants of Cam, who present myrrh to the Child as a symbol of His passion and resurrection.
The Star of Bethlehem
The Bible tells of a star that guided the Three Kings from the East and led them to the manger, where Baby Jesus was born. Theories abound as to the possible explanation of this miracle, including that it was the bright light of the planet Venus, Halley's comet or the comet Hale-Bopp appearing in the sky, a supernova or a lunar eclipse. The astronomer Johannes Keppler proposed one of the more accepted theories in 1606. According to him, it was a rare triple planetary alignment of Earth, Jupiter and Saturn, crossing the sun precisely at Pisces. This alignment would have appeared to an observer on the Earth as a single bright star. Another more recent hypothesis has offered that it was a bright nova that appeared near the star Theta Aquilae. The Star of Bethlehem is represented both as the star that appears above the manger and the star that crowns the Christmas tree.
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