Epiphany 2028: Date, History & Significance

In the West, homes are blessed and the initials of the Magi (C+M+B) with the year are chalked over the door; a King Cake is shared. In the East and in Kerala's Syrian churches, Denha (Perunnal of the Baptism) brings a dawn procession to a river or tank, the blessing and sprinkling of water, and in places a wooden cross thrown into the water and retrieved by swimmers ('Rakkuli').

Matthew tells of Magi — wise men or kings from the East — who followed a star to Bethlehem and offered the child gold, frankincense and myrrh, the first Gentiles to worship him. The Eastern church joins to this the Baptism, when the Spirit descended as a dove and a voice said 'This is my beloved Son' — the first public showing of Jesus as the Christ.

Source: The Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles; the liturgical calendar of the Church

Epiphany is one of the oldest Christian feasts, older than Christmas in the East; the Kerala Denha and its Rakkuli water-cross tradition are distinctive to the Saint Thomas Christians. It is not a public holiday nationally.

• Indian Christian community practice (Latin, Syro-Malabar, Syro-Malankara, CSI, CNI, Orthodox)
• The Roman Missal / liturgical calendars

1. Epiphany marks the visit of the Magi, the three wise men, to the infant Jesus; the kings are added to the crib.
2. In Goa, the Feast of the Three Kings at Cansaulim, Arossim and Cuelim has boys dressed as the kings ride to the hilltop chapel of Our Lady of Remedios.
3. Traditionally it closes the Christmas season, and many homes take down their cribs and stars after it.

• Kerala (Syrian / Saint Thomas Christians). Denha / Rakkuli — the dawn river procession, the blessing of water, and the wooden cross recovered from the water.
• Goa, the cities. The Feast of the Three Kings — at Reis Magos and Chandor, boys dressed as the Magi ride to the chapel; King Cake and the blessing of homes.

• King cake — In some Catholic homes a cake with a hidden token is shared; whoever finds it is 'king' for the day.

Epiphany falls on Thursday, 6 January 2028. The manifestation of Christ to the Magi; end of the twelve days of Christmas.

at sunrise

Epiphany is dated by 6 January (fixed); the Sunday between 2 and 8 January in some churches. The movable feasts of the Christian year (Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost) are all reckoned from Easter, which is the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the spring equinox; the fixed feasts (Christmas, Epiphany, the Annunciation, All Saints and All Souls) keep the same civil date each year.

The date is set by the Hindu lunisolar calendar and shifts against the Gregorian year.