♫ On the thirteenth day of Christmas...♫

January 6th is a day of many names; Three kings' day, Epiphany, and the 13th day of Christmas.

It is considered to be the day the (3) kings, or wise men if you'd like, visited Jesus in the stable. Because they bore three gifts; gold, myrrh, and frankincense, it has generally been assumed that there were 3 visitors though the Bible gives no indication of such.

It is also considered to be the day deity (Christ) met the gentiles (the world). This event is called Epiphany. In next week's blog, I will explain the importance of Epiphany in the feast day calendar used in Scandinavian churches.

Finally, it is called the 13th day of Christmas, or "trettonde dag jul" (Sweden) marking the 13th day after Christmas with Christmas day being the first day after Christmas since the Scandinavian countries, and some other European countries, celebrate Christmas on December 24th.

Most Christian cultures have this day marked one way or another on their calendar, but in Sweden, this is a holiday marked by no work, shows on TV, good food (often leftover cookies and treats from Christmas), and for some a visit to the local church.