Page 4 Section II Portland Observer. December 15, 1982
The personalities associated with
Christmas are many and each—
from the wise men to Santa Claus—
has his own legends.
The wlaa man
’ •Now when Jesus was born in
Bethlehem of Judea in the days of
Herod the King, behold, there
came wise men from the east to Je
rusalem. saying. ’Where is he that is
born king of the Jews?’ ”
Who the wise men were or where
they came from is not known, but
they are called "M a g i," which was a
sect o f priests among the ancient
Medes and Persians who were
known for their enchantments, their
knowledge of astrology, and their
wisdom. They were believed to have
found the Christ Child on January
6th, which is known as T w elfth
Night, or Epiphany.
l egend tells of a nation near the
sea in the East which possessed the
writings of a man called Seth, that
said, ’’Twelve of the learned men of
the country. . . had disposed them
selves to watch for that Star, and
when any of them died, his son or
one of his kindred. . was appointed
in his place." For generations fo l
lowing the harvest they went to a
high mountain to watch. Then one
day " it should appear descending
on the mountain having within itself
the form of a man child, and above
the similtudc of a cross; and is spoke
to them, and taught them, and com
manded them that they should go to
Judea. And journeying thither for
space of two years, neither food nor
drink failed in their vessels."
Other legends say the journey
took 12 days and that they neither
Common church literature says
there were three wise men, since
there were three gifts. M elchior,
King o f A rab ia. 60 years old.
brought a casket of gold. Gasper, or
Casper. King of Tarsus, a youth of
20, brought myrrh. Balthasar, King
of Ethiopia and Saba. 40 years old.
brought frankincense. Each gift
symbolized what Jesus was to be
come: Gold for a king; frankincense
for a high priest; myrrh for a great
physician.
In return for their gold they re
ceived the gift of charity and spiri
tual wealth; for their frankincense
they received perfect peace; for their
myrrh they received perfect truth
and meekness.
Legend says the three kings re
turned to their own countries, gave
away their wealth, and spent their
lives telling about the Prince of
Peace. They were martyred in India.
Three hundred years later their
bodies were transferred to Constan
tinople by Empress Helena, mother
of Constantine the Oreat. After the
ate nor drank on the way.
First Crusade the bodies were taken
to Milan and finally to the Cologne
Cathedral by Emperor Barbarossa.
They are still today housed in a
shrine in the Cologne Cathedral and
are called the Three Kings o f C o
logne.
According to Spanish folk talc the
Wise Men go each year to Bethle
hem. As they pass through Spain
they bring gifts for the children. On
the eve o f Epiphany the children
leave their shoes with straw for the
Wise M en’s horses. In the morning
the straw is gone and in its place are
gifts. In Madrid it is customary for
men and boys bearing torches and
bells to go the city’s edge to meet the
M agi. In the last rays o f sunlight
some children see the caravan in the
distance. They hurry to the cathe
dral to find the Magi there.
La Befana
La Befana was a widow who lived
alone along the highway. One Janu
ary 6th a group of men appeared at
her door, asking the way to Bethle
hem. Three of the men were dressed
like kings and they talked about a
baby and a star.
She would have liked to have
gone along, but decided to mind her
own business. Soon a shepherd
came by and said, "Com e with me
to Bethlehem to see the young
King.” But she decided to wait until
tomorrow.
When night came La Befana was
surprised to see the sky was lit by an
enormous star and seemed to be
filled with angels singing. She de
cided to hide in her house with the
shutters closed.
But she could not sleep. So she
found the things that had belonged
to her dead child—a seed and a doll
— an wrapped them in cloth. She
rushed out of the house and started
up the h ill the way the Wise Men
and the shepherd had gone but she
did not know the way. She wished
she had not waited— had gone with
the Wise Men or the shepherd.
So La Befana has travelled ever
since, looking for the Christ Child.
On T w elfth Night she goes from
house to house, looking at babies
and bringing them gifts, hoping at
last she will find the right child.
In Italy. La Befana is the bringer
of gifts. Because she was sweeping
when the Wise Men came by she is
pictured with a broom. The children
hang out their clothes on Epiphany
Even so La Befana can put gifts in
their pockets.
Babouahka
In Russia, La Befona is called Ba
boushka. In the Russian legend she
misdirected the Wise Men and she
refused to shelter the Holy Family
when the fled into Egypt. Now she
journeys through Russia knocking
at each door with her staff, looking
at each child's face as he sleeps. A f
ter putting a toy under the bed. she
goes on searching for the Christ
Child.
Saint Nicholas
St. Nicholas was born in Patras, a
city in Lycia, in Asia Minor. His fa
ther was a wealthy bishop and his
mother a holy woman. As a child
Nicholas devoted his time to study
ing the scriptures.
When his parents dies Nicholas
decided to secretly give away all of
their wealth. He heard o f a man
who had three daughters who would
have to be sold into slavery because
they had no doweries. He secretly
gave each a bag o f gold— some say
he threw the bags down the chim
ney.
Nicholas set o ff on a journey to
'
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