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MERRY CHRISTMAS! HAPPY EPIPHANY! What is TODAY?

MERRY CHRISTMAS! HAPPY EPIPHANY! What is TODAY?

Hearing BBC WORLD NEWS on our Wisconsin Public Radio's “Ideas Network” this morning about the plans for the celebration of Christmas by Christians of the Orthodox Christians traditions, I was reminded of this difference within the world Christian religion. Today – January 6 – is celebrated by "Western" Christians as EPIPHANY – the day of the revelation of Jesus, born in Bethlehem, to the “Gentiles” symbolized by the Biblical Magi/Wise men. Why this difference? Let’s take a look at the calendars (plural).

Essentially, we are dealing with the fact that there are two (2) calendars which have been very significant in our history. First, there was the Julian calendar originally developed by Julius Caesar and then with some reforms remained a much used calendar into the 20th century.

Second, there is the Gregorian Calendar which was issued by Pope Gregory XII in 1582. This calendar was “more scientific” and adjusted more accurately to the reality of time with a regular “leap year.” This calendar is accurate until 4099. (Glad I don’t have to worry about this date! HA!) The Gregorian Calendar is the most widely used in our 21st century world. NOTE: I urge you to read the Wikipedia feature articles to gain the more complex/detailed discussion of the qualities of these calendars. I have simplified focusing on the GIST in talking about these two (2) calendars.

The calendar of the “Western” Christian Church is based on the Gregorian Calendar. This means that “Christmas” is celebrated always on December 25. It is one of the “fixed” feasts of the Christian faith. And, “Epiphany” is always celebrated on January 6 due to the counting of the days after Christmas. Yes, Epiphany is the 12th Day of Christmas and starts the next “season” in the “Liturgical Calendar” of the Christian faith.

The some members of the Orthodox Christian tradition of the world Christian faith bases its “fixed” feasts on the Julian Calendar. December 25 on the Gregorian Calendar corresponds to January 6 on the Julian Calendar. So, these Christians of the Orthodox Christian tradition throughout the world are celebrating Christmas today. Epiphany for this tradition will be on January 19.

For Christians, the MOST significant festival of the year is “EASTER” celebrating the Christian belief that Jesus of Nazareth, whom Christians believe is “The Christ” or God’s messiah/savior for the whole wide world. Again, I encourage you to read the feature article in Wikipedia – I put the link above for your convenience.

AGAIN we have differences among various traditions of the world-wide Christian faith. And, yes, again, the key factor is the differences of the GREGORIAN and JULIAN calendars. Easter is, however, a “movable” Christian festival. The calculation as to the date of Easter is very complicated – you can learn more by reading the Wikipedia article linked above. Again, the difference in the calculation of the years, with the GREGORIAN calendar having the more accurate calculation of time with its regular use of “leap years” is key.

This year EASTER is on the same date for both “Western” and “Eastern”/"Orthodox" Christians – it is Sunday, April 24. The complexity of each calendar results in the fact that most years the “Western” Easter is on a different date from the “Eastern” Easter. Next year, 2012, the dates will be: Western Easter on April 8 and Eastern Easter on April 15, 2012. On the projection, the date of Easter will be on a common date in 2014 with both on Sunday, April 20, 2014. After several years of different dates, Easter will be on a common date in 2017 – Sunday, April 16.

The range of Easter dates for each tradition is different. The Western dates of Easter range from March 22 to April 25. So, this year Easter is almost as “late” in the year as ever. On the other hand, the Eastern dates of Easter range from April 1 to May 22. It all depends on which calendar you follow.

IF you want a very, very detailed discussion of the calculating of the date of Easter along with comparisons of the “Western” and “Orthodox” (labels used by the website), you will learn a great deal by going to GM Arts’ “Easter Sunday Date FAQ.” Use the link for easy access. I learned a great deal reading the various responses to questions and studying the charts.

So, for me and many of you, today is EPIPHANY. For many of our Christian brothers and sisters throughout the world, it is CHRISTMAS!

Whatever your faith/philosophy, I wish you a meaningful, inspiring and blessed day today! Remember: Today is the FIRST day of the rest of your life!

Here we go…

Mr. E.

John Eyster lives in the Edgerton area. He is an adjunct professor of political science at UW-Waukesha and an advocate for democracy/civics education in Wisconsin high schools. John is a community blogger and is not a part of Janesville Gazette staff. His opinion is not necessarily that of the Janesville Gazette staff or management.