January 6 is the Epiphany of the Lord, the feast of Christ's manifestation to the nations. In the Western tradition the feast commemorates the coming of the Magi to the child at Bethlehem, where "they fell down and worshipped him" (Matthew 2:1-12). In the East, where the feast is older, it commemorates the baptism of Christ in the Jordan and the first sign at Cana — three manifestations of the one mystery: God made man, made known.
The Magi are the first Gentiles to worship Christ, and so the feast is the feast of the missions and of the universal Church. The basilica built over the traditional birthplace in Bethlehem holds the star that marks the spot, and the relics of the Magi themselves, tradition says, were translated from Milan to Cologne by Archbishop Rainald von Dassel in 1164 — the great gold reliquary in Cologne Cathedral is one of the masterpieces of medieval goldsmithing and one of the most visited shrines in Christendom.
The feast is older in the East than in the West, and in many Eastern churches it is the primary winter feast, with Christmas secondary. The blessing of homes on Epiphany — the chalked inscription of the year and the Magi's initials above the door — is a custom that spread through Central Europe and is now kept in many Catholic parishes. From Bethlehem to Cologne to the smallest parish, the feast is the manifestation.
