Overview
- Christians mark the feast as the appearance of the Lord, recalling Magi who brought gold, frankincense and myrrh.
- Elsewhere in Germany Jan. 6 is a normal workday, while Austria observes a public holiday and parts of Switzerland do as well.
- Customs include door blessings with the C+M+B inscription, water and incense rites, and the Sternsinger charity visits by children.
- The Bible neither names the visitors nor calls them kings or three in number; later tradition assigned the names Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar.
- Cologne Cathedral displays the golden shrine said to hold the Magi’s relics on Jan. 6, and churches continue to reassess racialized portrayals of the figures.