Thus the holy day is considered to be a Trinitarian feast. John the Baptist marked one of only two occasions when all three Persons of the Trinity manifested themselves simultaneously to humanity: God the Father by speaking through the clouds, God the Son being baptized in the river, and God the Holy Spirit in the shape of a dove descending from heaven (the other occasion was the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor). It is also celebrated because, according to tradition, the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by St. Today in Orthodox churches, the emphasis on this feast is on the shining forth and revelation of Jesus Christ as the Messiah and Second Person of the Trinity at the time of his baptism. Some Christian cultures, especially those of Latin America and some in Europe, extend the season to as many as forty days, ending on Candlemas (February 2). However, for the Catholic Church today, “Christmas Time runs from First Vespers (Evening Prayer I) of the Nativity of the Lord up to and including the Sunday after Epiphany or after January 6”, a period not limited to twelve days. Many in the West observe a twelve-day festival, starting on December 25 and ending on January 5, known as Christmas tide or the Twelve Days of Christmas. On the Julian calendar, which some of the Orthodox churches follow, including the likes of Eritrea, the date corresponds, during the present century, to January 19 on the Gregorian or Revised Julian calendar. It is celebrated on January 6 of the calendar that a particular Church uses. Here it is one of the Great Feasts of the liturgical year, being third in rank, behind only Easter and Christmas. The name of the feast as celebrated in the Orthodox church may be rendered in English as the Theophany, as closer in form to the Greek (“God shining forth” or “divine manifestation”). It’s is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ. In all seriousness, Timket or Epiphany is one of Eritrea’s nationally celebrated holidays. I am somewhat certain we all gain quite a bit of weight over these twenty days of nonstop feasting and celebrations. First comes New Year, followed by the Orthodox Christmas, and twelve days later comes another holiday to celebrate: Timket or the Epiphany, as it is called. Eritrea celebrates a host of holidays in January.