Today, 19 January 2025, the Coptic Church celebrates the Feast of the Epiphany. That marks the incident when Jesus Christ was baptised in the River Jordan by John the Baptist. The Gospel of Matthew says in its third chapter, verses 16, 17: “When He had been baptised, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’.”
The Church celebrates the manifestation of the Trinity of God: God the Father whose voice was heard from Heaven; God the Son, Jesus who was baptised, and God the Holy Spirit who descended as a dove. The Feast of the Epiphany is this one of the Coptic Church’s seven great feasts of the Master.
On the popular level, Copts in rural Egypt for centuries celebrated by marching on Epiphany Eve in a procession lit by lanterns made of orange rind and topped with crosses made of palm stems, singing folk praises. The procession would head to the nearest canal or Nile bank where the men and boys would have a dip in the cold water. Then everyone would attend Midnight Mass. Today, the evening tradition is dying out, Copts go to Midnight Mass and, the following day they feast on foods in season: Colocasia which they cook in a green herb sauce, and sugar cane for dessert.
++Watani++ wishes its readers the blessings of the Epiphany.
Watani International
19 January 2025
