The Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day or Theophany, is an ancient Christian holiday that predates the celebration of Christmas. People around the world still observe it today, typically on January 6. However, some observers, including Catholics in America, honor different dates.
Traditions vary by region. In many Spanish-speaking countries, children receive presents on Día de Los Reyes (Three Kings Day) instead of or in addition to Christmas. The Irish consider it bad luck to take down their Christmas trees until Epiphany.And in Russia, some brave believers observe Epiphany by “baptizing” themselves in frigid lakes, an Eastern Orthodox tradition.
Epiphany is derived from the Greek word “epiphaneia,” meaning “manifestation.” Before Christmas was its own holiday,the early Christian church established the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6 to commemorate several miraculous events that “manifested” Jesus’ divinity: his virgin birth, the visitation of the Three Wise Men (also called the Three Kings or the Magi), his baptism and when he turned water into wine at the Wedding of Cana.
By the early fourth century, the church set aside December 25 for the celebration of Jesus’ birth, known as Nativity, and kept Epiphany on January 6.
Over the centuries, as Christianity separated into western and eastern branches, two distinct lines of tradition developed. Western churches celebrated Epiphany as the day that the Magi visited the infant Jesus. Meanwhile, Eastern Orthodox churches associated the holiday,which they call Theophany,with Jesus’ baptism, when he was “manifested” as both fully human and fully divine.
Most places around the world celebrate Epiphany on the holiday’s traditional date, January 6. However, according to Eastern Orthodox tradition, Epiphany always falls on January 19, because these churches still use the Julian calendar.
In the United States, the date of Epiphany varies for Catholics. Since 1970, the liturgical calendar for the Dioceses of the United States of America has directed its followers to mark Epiphany on the first Sunday after January 1. For 2026, the holiday is on January 4.
