turtle doves
FIVE GO-OLD RINGS!
Advent (or the "Nativity Fast"), ended Christmas Day and is followed traditionally in both the East and West by twelve days leading up to January 6th. Epiphany, or Theophany as it is referred to in the East, falls on this day and is the climax of the Christmas season and the Twelve Days of Christmas. Following the traditional custom of counting the days beginning at sundown, this liturgical service is typically celebrated on the night of January 5th - the "Twelfth Night".
The term Epiphany means "to show" or "to make known" or even "to reveal." In Western Catholic and Protestant churches, it remembers the coming of the Wisemen bringing gifts and visiting the Christ child, who by so doing "reveal" Jesus to the world as Lord and King.
In Eastern Orthodox churches (where the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child is commemorated on Christmas Day) Theophany, which means "appearance of God", commemorates Jesus’ baptism. The feast is called Theophany because at the baptism of Christ the Holy Trinity appeared clearly to mankind for the first time -- the Father's voice is heard from Heaven, the Son of God is incarnate and standing physically in the Jordan, and the Holy Spirit descends on Him in the form of a dove.
Here are some beautifully illustrated offerings of the TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS SONG that I am sure you and your child will enjoy (click on the image of the book cover for information) :
Jan Brett
Gennady Spirin
Robert Sabuda
Don Daily
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