Christmas, Magi, and Charlie Brown

   Hey people!;) it's E here!

   

   Well Christmas Day has come and gone, but Christmas isn't over yet (we still have two more days!). I'm talking about the Twelve Days of Christmas (no not the song).

   

   The Twelve Days of Christmas is the festive Christian season, beginning on Christmas Day (December 25) and continuing on to January 5. It celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This period is also known as Christmastide.

   The Twelve Days of Christmas are immediately followed by the Feast of the Epiphany, which celebrates the coming of the Wise Men (Magi) and their bringing of gifts to the child Jesus. In some traditions the Feast of the Epiphany and The Twelfth Night overlap.

   

   Currently The Twelve Days and Nights are celebrated in varying ways around the world. Some give gifts only on Christmas Day, some only on the Twelfth Night, and some each of The Twelve Days. In many Latin American countries, the Feast of the Epiphany is accorded a great celebration. 

    

   In the Gospel of Mathew 2:1 & 11 it says 'now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,....and when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.' These are only two of the verses that tell of when the Wise Men came. It's quite interesting when I think about their meaning. 

   

   For the longest time, I never even new what Myrrh was or Frankincense. For those of you who don't know, Myrrh is a fragrant gum resin obtained from certain trees and used in the Near East in perfumery, medicines, and incense. Frankincense is much the same; an aromatic gum resin obtained from an African tree and burned as incense. Also called Olibanum. And I always thought that they were some kind of gem or precious stone! Just goes to show how much I know..;) 

   Another thing that's quite interesting is this: the Bible never specifies how many Wise Men there were! It has normally been portrayed as there being three. This is probably because there where only three gifts given. But there could have been four Wise Men or two or even ten! It does say Wise Men so there was obviously more that one. For me there are so many things in the Bible, even in all the well known history in the Bible, that is still to learn and understand.

    This is getting to be a really long post! So I will wrap it up with this: my favorite version of Christ's birth happens to be the 'King James Version,' which is also the version that Charles Schultz used in 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'. After Charlie Brown asks if anyone knows the true meaning of Christmas. Linus says 'sure Charlie Brown' he steps forward, cues the lights and quotes:

   

   'And there where in those days shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you, You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'

   

 ~E