Our first family Epiphany dinner was three years ago. That year, Epiphany fell on a Friday so we made an event of it. One of the priest from our parish joined us. Neighbors came for hors d'oeuvres and hot apple cider while the priest did the traditional Epiphany blessing at our home. We then served a dinner of steak and manicotti. Meg, who was just three years old at the time, still remembers the dinner. It was an event.
Our Epiphany dinners have been quieter since then, but we do still try to make them special. The girls know they get to decorate a cake for Epiphany and all day long they asked me, "Is it time to make the cake?" Since the stores have already replaced Christmas candy with Valentines Candy, our Epiphany cakes always seem to be decorated in hearts. The girls, as usual, had a fun time decorating the cake.
Our Epiphany dinners have been quieter since then, but we do still try to make them special. The girls know they get to decorate a cake for Epiphany and all day long they asked me, "Is it time to make the cake?" Since the stores have already replaced Christmas candy with Valentines Candy, our Epiphany cakes always seem to be decorated in hearts. The girls, as usual, had a fun time decorating the cake.
Prior to dinner, I put apple cider on the stove with mulling spices. Apple cider is an English Epiphany custom and I'm always looking for reasons to have apple cider.
Our dinner was a family favorite--American Chop Suey. For those outside the Northeast, this is simply pasta, tomato sauce and ground beef (actually, we use ground turkey). It is the one meal that I know everyone in our family (including Baby Anne) will devour.
Following dinner, we did the Epiphany blessing using the same chalk the priest had blessed at that Epiphany dinner three years ago. We began with my husband reading a Three Wisemen book that Meg had found and wanted to include in the Blessing. Then Clare said the Our Father. Meg said the Hail Mary. I read the Magnificat. Then my husband wrote "20 + C + M + B + 15" over our front door (the year with the initials of the wise men (Caspar, Mechior and Balthasar)...CMB can also stand for Christus mansionem benedicat, which means Christ bless this house). He ended with an appropriate reading and then we returned to the table for cake.
Our dinner was a family favorite--American Chop Suey. For those outside the Northeast, this is simply pasta, tomato sauce and ground beef (actually, we use ground turkey). It is the one meal that I know everyone in our family (including Baby Anne) will devour.
Following dinner, we did the Epiphany blessing using the same chalk the priest had blessed at that Epiphany dinner three years ago. We began with my husband reading a Three Wisemen book that Meg had found and wanted to include in the Blessing. Then Clare said the Our Father. Meg said the Hail Mary. I read the Magnificat. Then my husband wrote "20 + C + M + B + 15" over our front door (the year with the initials of the wise men (Caspar, Mechior and Balthasar)...CMB can also stand for Christus mansionem benedicat, which means Christ bless this house). He ended with an appropriate reading and then we returned to the table for cake.
Before I was allowed to eat my piece of cake, the girls informed me that I needed to move the wise men all the way to the Nativity set. They've been working their way over from the far side of the bookshelves. They finally joined Joseph, Jesus and the Shepherds today. (You may notice that we do not have a Mary in our Nativity set. The set belonged to my grandmother and, sadly, Mary was lost when my grandmother's belongings were being packed up after her death. I have been searching for a replacement for years.)
The whole family thoroughly enjoyed our relatively quiet Epiphany. It was rather fun to be snowed in (see yesterday's post here) and to have plenty of time for all our little traditions.
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