Epiphany: When is Epiphany and how is it celebrated?

If you haven't taken the Christmas decorations down already, you may be asked to help to do this on 6 January

It's now 2024 - the presents have been opened, the puddings eaten and lots of TV has been watched! It truly feels like Christmas has been and gone for another year.

But did you know 6 January marks an important date for many people in the Christmas calendar?

That's because it's the date of something called Epiphany, which falls 12 days after Christmas.

For some in the Orthodox Church, which celebrates Christmas on the 7 January, Epiphany falls on 19 January.

What is Epiphany?

Epiphany is a Christian festival that marks the day the three Wise Men went to visit the baby Jesus

Epiphany - also known as Three Kings' Day - is a Christian feast day which falls on 6 January.

It is a special date for many Christians as it's when people celebrate how a star led the Magi - also known as the Three kings or the Wise Men - to visit the baby Jesus after he had been born.

'Epiphany' comes from the Greek word meaning 'to reveal', as it is when the baby Jesus was 'revealed' to the world.

This is why you might hear people say they've had an epiphany, when they've just realised something.

How do people celebrate Epiphany around the world?

Here, children are celebrating the Dia de los Reyes in New York

In some countries many families will take off 6 January and exchange presents.

In Spain and Latin America, El Dia de los Reyes is just as important as Christmas Day itself.

A bit like how you might leave a carrot and mince pie out on Christmas Eve, the night before El Día de los Reyes, children leave out drinks for the Three Kings and there are parades and fireworks displays to mark the occasion.

People in the Czech Republic often go for a swim on Epiphany - that water looks freezing!

In the Czech Republic, those who are up for the challenge celebrate Epiphany by swimming in the freezing cold Vltava river in Prague.

Men also dress up as the Magi, riding on camels through Prague's city centre, as part of the Three Kings Day Parade.

In Mexico, people celebrate Epiphany by eating a special sweet bread called Rosca de Reyes. The bread is ring-shaped and topped with candied fruit.

A small plastic figure of baby Jesus is normally hidden inside the the Rosca de Reyes before it's cut, and whoever finds it is thought to have good luck.

However, that person is also tasked with hosting a party on what's known as Día de la Candelaria, which is on 2 February. This includes cooking tamales, which is a popular Mexican food, for the whole family.

Dreikönigskuchen or Three King Bread is made of a sweetened dough, usually mixed with raisins or chocolate chips

Special bakes are eaten in other parts of the world too.

Three King Bread, known as Dreikönigskuchen in German, is traditionally baked in Switzerland and eaten on January 6th.

What is Twelfth Night?

The date of Epiphany also happens around the time of Twelfth Night too.

Traditionally, Twelfth Night marks the end of Christmas - 12 nights after Christmas.

Many people use this date as a marker for when to take their decorations down.