Twelfth Night about symbolism

The Christians of the world are having an epiphany.

On this day, the 12th day after Christmas, three Magi from off, sure a certain rumor had some truth in it and summoned by the Judean King Herod, sought out a newborn baby in faraway Bethlehem, using a bright star, hope and faith as their guide.

These men were not really heads of state. They did not rule over kingdoms. And perhaps there were more, or less, than three who traveled from the east to visit this Christ child, born king of the Jews. The Gospel of Matthew, the only text that describes the Epiphany, does not specify the travelers' identity or quantity. Nor does it make clear precisely when the wise men found the "young child."

Their names — Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar — were derived from a 6th century Greek text and codified in the 8th century.

What is known is that gold, frankincense and myrrh, three symbolic gifts, were bestowed on the baby. Gold represents authority and kingship; frankincense represents priesthood and prayer; myrrh represents death and suffering.

Or perhaps, as some scholars and theologians have suggested, the gifts were common for the time. Perhaps the incense and oil had a medicinal purpose and the gold a financial one.

For the wise men, possibly Zoroastrian priests, the visit was a revelation: God took human form on Earth to appear before mankind, and the travelers were among the first to see the newborn king. The event has inspired the Nativity scene, or creche, which can be found at millions of churches and homes worldwide.

For many Christian children, it is the morning of the Epiphany, not Christmas, for which they wait with anticipation.

In Italy, La Befana, a benevolent witch, flies across the skies on her broom delivering toys and treats to good children (and black coal to bad children).

In Spain, France, Mexico and parts of the Philippines, children put their shoes by the front door before going to bed on the night of Jan. 5. In the morning, they find their footwear filled with goodies. The shoes symbolize the wise men's long march to the manger in Bethlehem.

While Santa Claus has certainly insinuated himself into these cultures in recent times, the old traditions persist.

The gift-giving on Twelfth Night has less to do with catching up on the most recent gadgets and more to do with the symbolism and significance of the holiday season. A shoe full of candies surely will delight the child who set it, empty, by the door the night before, but the shoe just as surely will return to his foot the next time he leaves the house.

Warned by a dream that Herod was up to no good, the Magi decided to take a different path back home.

Angered by his failure to find the baby Jesus, and threatened by the idea that another might wield more power, Herod ordered his men to slaughter all the young children in Bethlehem. This was called the Slaughter of the Innocents and it was, after the Magi's visit, the second consequence of Christ's birth.