Epiphany

Tłum ludzi podczas procesji

In the Catholic Church, the feast of the Epiphany is held on 6 January. Traditionally, this is the day of the Adoration of the Magi - Casper, Melchior, Balthazar. They arrived to the stable of Bethlehem to pay homage to newborn Jesus and give him gifts – gold, frankincense and myrrh. In memory of this event, the faithful bring incense and chalk to be blessed and later on they write letters K + M + B and the date of the current year on the doors of their homes. The letters are not the first letters of the names of the kings, but the abbreviation of the expression Christus mansionem benedicat (“May Christ bless this house”). On this day, the figures of the Wise Men from the East, as the Kings are also referred to, are added to the Christmas crib. For several years, in Krakow there has been the colourful Three Kings Parade, which walks along the streets of the city. The participants receive paper crowns and songbooks distributed by the organisers during the march. Each part of the parade, setting off from three different points of the city, symbolises different biblical King. Singing happy carols to the accompaniment of musical instruments, the participants in the colourful parade go to the Marketsquare, where they jointly bow to the Infant. Similar parades are also organised in other cities in Poland and all over the world. 


 
Download free VisitMałopolska app
 
Android
Apple iOS
Windows Phone
<
>