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Today's theme is another key feature of the Nativity.
The Magi, Three Kings, or the Three Wise Men as they are sometimes called, were said to have visited Jesus shortly after his birth. The term Magi comes from the Greek μάγος (magos) used to refer to a priest or follower of the Persian philosopher Zoroaster: a religion that paid particular attention to the study of the stars. From this term we get the words magic and magician in English, although the word was translated as "wise men" in the King James Bible.
The Bible does not give a specific number to the Magi that visited Jesus, however tradition has set their number as three to correspond with the three gifts they brought. In Western Christian convention, these three men are called Melchior, Balthazar and Caspar, which was taken from a 6th-century Greek manuscript and translated into Latin in the Excerpta Latina Barbari.
Melchior - Most likely derives from the Hebrew מֶלֶךְ (melech) "king" and אור (or) "light." It is also found as Melchor (Spanish), Melker (Swedish) and Melchiorre (Italian).
Balthazar - The Greek and Latin form of Belshazzar, the Hebrew equivalent to the Akkadian Bel-sarra-usur meaning "Bel, protect the king." Bel, meaning "lord," was a name given to the Babylonian god Marduk.
Caspar - A Latinised form of Jasper, which most likely comes from the Persian khazāndār "treasurer." It has many variations including Casper, Gaspar, Gaspard, Gaspare, Gasparo, Jesper, Kacper, Kaspar and Kasper.
The Adoration of the Magi is traditionally celebrated on Epiphany, which falls on the 6th of January -- the twelfth day of the Twelve Days of Christmas. In many countries, Epiphany is the major event in the Christmas calendar, on which people exchange gifts and prepare a festive feast. In Spain, children wake up to presents brought to them by Los Reyes de Magos "The Three Kings," whilst children in Italy wake up to presents brought to them by a kindly old woman named La Befana. Spanish girls born around this time may also be named Adoracion, a name which commemorates the event of the adoration.
Epiphany has been used, albeit rarely, as a name for children born on Epiphany in Britain. It derives from the Greek ἐπιφάνεια (epiphaneia) "manifestation,"and in the Hellenic period it was used in the form theos ephiphanes, literally meaning "the manifestation of (a) god." Antiochus IV, a Selucid Emperor, who saw himself as the personification of Zeus, gave himself the name Epiphanes; as did several other rulers after him. The term was also used prominently in Ptolemaic state cult. Epiphanias is a name borne by many early Christian scholars as well as five saints, whilst Epiphania is found as a feminine form and was borne by two saints of the name. It is thought that La Befana in Italy is a derivative of the name. Epifanio is found in use in Spain.
Epiphany is also sometimes called Theophany, derived from the Greek Θεοφάνεια (theophaneia) "appearance / manifestation of (a) god." Theophanes was used particularly as a name in the Byzantine Empire, including two saints, a notable historian and icon painter. Theophania, the feminine form, was borne by a Byzantine Empress.
Theophania became Tifaine in Medieval French, and was regarded by French Catholics at the time as the name of the mother of the Magi. It became rendered to Tiffany when the Normans brought it over to Britain and was used traditionally for children born around Epiphany in January.
