CV NEWS FEED // As the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord approaches, Catholic from the Archdiocese of Detroit, Michigan are sharing their “best tips” for how to throw a great Epiphany party in celebration of the feast.
The feast of the Epiphany on January 6 celebrates the day that the Magi, or the Wise Men, arrived to pay homage to the infant Jesus as documented in chapter 2 of the gospel of Matthew.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (paragraph 528) states that “In the magi, representatives of the neighboring pagan religions, the Gospel sees the first-fruits of the nations, who welcome the good news of salvation through the Incarnation.”
In a January 2 interview with Detroit Catholic, several Catholic families talked about their traditions for celebrating the Epiphany with other local families. Detroit Catholic also highlighted the Catechism’s statement that the “Epiphany is the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah of Israel, Son of God and Savior of the world.”
Detroit Catholic wrote of the families they interviewed, “We hope their [Epiphany parties] will serve as an inspiration for you to host your own celebration of this uniquely Catholic — and uniquely fun — feast day.”
The party planners shared that there are many different ways to host an Epiphany party, whether it’s in collaboration with a local Catholic school, or with a potluck at one’s home, or even renting out a space at a local restaurant.
One Catholic men’s group in the archdiocese of Detroit first hosted an Epiphany party for their families at the end of 2022. Hosted at a party room at a local brewery, the planners brought “food from an Italian restaurant with reasonable prices,” and paper crowns for the children to wear. Nearly 100 people attended.
“We had been talking about recapturing the beauty and true celebration of these Catholic feasts and had the idea of an Epiphany party,” Jonathan Henry, who helped plan the Epiphany party, told Detroit Catholic. “It wasn’t hard, honestly. God just paved the way to make that happen.”
This year the men’s group Epiphany party will include “a reading of the Epiphany Scripture passage, caroling, and a blessing of chalk for families to take home to bless the entrance of their homes.”
“We kept it intentionally simple the first year,” Henry added. “We want to do this forever, so we felt we didn’t have to rush into doing everything that first year. We’ll build on it and see what the Lord inspires year to year.”
Jen Nelson, the Parent-Teacher Association president at a local school, St. John Paul II Classical School, helped plan her school’s 2023 Epiphany party. Years prior she had attended a potluck party at a friend’s home for the solemnity, but the 2023 party “was in a banquet hall with a band, crafts and a procession of the three kings,” Detroit Catholic reported:
What says “party” more than a parade of kings? Children who attended the St. John Paul II Classical School Epiphany party dress up in costumes as the three kings and process through the crowd to find the baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph…
Organizers of the St. John Paul II Classical School party order a “Three Kings Cake” from a Mexican bakery. Three baby Jesus figurines are baked into the cake, and the people who find them win a prize.
The United States Council of Catholic Bishops write that “although we know virtually nothing about [the Magi], we do know they brought three gifts,” gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
In the spirit of the Magi’s gift-giving, Detroit Catholic suggested that party hosters could include a white elephant gift change. An activity for guests could also be “making star ornaments and [decorate] paper crowns” and “singing Epiphany-themed Christmas carols such as ‘We Three Kings’ or ‘What Child Is This?’”
Another piece of advice Detroit Catholic shared is to “consider inviting people from your parish who are alone during the Christmas season, or who might be looking for fellowship and community with other Catholics,” as well as “Catholic friends and neighbors, priests, and even non-Catholics.”
Kim Cole, who helps plan the St. John Paul II school’s Epiphany party, said that her “best Epiphany party tip” is simply, “Don’t stress, and remain joyful.”
