Let Them Eat Cake!

"The true light has appeared and bestows enlightenment on all. Christ, who is above all purity, is baptized with us; He brings sanctification to the water and it becomes a cleansing for our souls…. Salvation comes through washing; the water, the Spirit; by descending into the water, we ascend to God. Wonderful are Your works, O Lord, glory to You!"

Originating in Egypt during the third century, the Feast of Theophany/Epiphany is celebrated on January 6th and is a more ancient feast than Christmas Day. In an apparent effort to combat a pagan holiday to the Egyptian sun god during the winter solstice, Christians began to celebrate a feast commemorating the epiphaneia of the true Savior. Initially, Christ's birth, the visit of the Magi, and Christ's baptism in the River Jordan were all celebrated in this one feast as all were viewed as manifestations of Christ's divinity. While most in the west have come to emphasize the arrival of the kings from the east on this day, the Orthodox world commemorates the baptism of Christ by St. John the Baptist. Over the years, I have come to love this feast and all it entails- the blessing of the waters, carrying home bottles of holy water from church to use in times of need throughout the year, and our annual house blessing. Even after celebrating for the whole of the Christmas season (that would be the twelve days between December 25th and January 6th), I still seem to be confronted with the post-Christmas blahs and the seeming bleakness of the bitterly cold winter months ahead, and am desperate in my attempts to recollect myself after the busyness of the last month. What grace the Feast of Theophany is to me personally. Watching the blessing of the water by our priest last Tuesday evening and then receiving a splash of the holy water on my head as we venerated the cross provided this sinful vessel with hope. By entering into the River Jordan and being baptized, Christ not only identified with the mundane like me but also commenced the renewal of all creation. Transformation is possible. Because the divine took on flesh, the flesh can taste of the divine. What a gift.

In honor of the arrival of the kings from the east, the boys and I baked a chiffon cake with whipped cream frosting. The cake was supposed to look like a crown, which it didn't, but we tried our best by using M&Ms as jewels.

This is Elliot acting as one of the kings, wearing an ever-disintegrating autumn crown. Isn't he so sweet?

The M&Ms were the first choice of all the boys but Russell clearly enjoyed the rest of his dessert.

Traditionally a bean, coin, or trinket is hidden in the cake and the person whose piece contains the hidden treasure is declared the king or queen of the feast. Though I forgot to bake our bean and had to shove it into the cake post-baking, it worked. Yes, Thomas was the King of the Day and was able to forgo bed-making and laundry duties as a result of his reign.

Thomas was so tickled by his very silly daddy, who kept yelling "The king says..." and then repeating every word and/or noise Thomas uttered, that at one point he had to run out of the room because he could not contain himself. Boy do I love that face!