Next: 6 Jan 2027
Epiphany and Three Kings
The twelfth day of Christmas: the Magi arrive with gifts, rosca and galette hide a bean or a figure, and waters are blessed.
When is Epiphany and Three Kings in 2027?
Epiphany and Three Kings 2027 is on Wednesday, 6 January 2027. Other years: 2026, Tuesday, 6 January 2026; 2028, Thursday, 6 January 2028.
About Epiphany and Three Kings
Epiphany, on 6 January, ends the twelve days of Christmas. In Western churches it recalls the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus, and in the Orthodox tradition, his baptism. In Spain, Latin America and Puerto Rico, children leave shoes out for the Reyes Magos, who bring gifts, and Spanish cities hold the Cabalgata de Reyes, a parade on 5 January. A ring of sweet bread, the roscón or rosca de reyes, is shared, with a bean or a small figure hidden inside, and whoever finds it is "king" for the day or hosts the party at Candlemas. In France, it is a galette des rois, and in Poland, a chalk inscription over the door. In Greece, priests throw crosses into the sea for the swimmers to retrieve.
Epiphany and Three Kings dates: 2026, 2027, 2028
| Year | Epiphany and Three Kings date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Tuesday, 6 January 2026 |
| 2027 | Wednesday, 6 January 2027 |
| 2028 | Thursday, 6 January 2028 |
What is eaten
- roscon de reyes
- galette des rois
- rosca de reyes
- hot chocolate
Also part of it, and being written: Magi (The visitors of the story.), Rosca de reyes (The ring cake with the hidden figure.), Galette des rois (The French king cake.), Theophany (The Orthodox feast of the baptism.).
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Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background: "Epiphany (holiday)" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Christmas in Ukraine: Halyna Kuchmanych, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Christmas: Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Public domain, source
- Plough Sunday: John Cowie, CC BY 3.0, source
- Koliada: Konstantin Trutovsky, Public domain, source
- Blacks and Whites' Carnival: camiloAndres, CC BY 2.0, source
- Chichilaki: Mostafameraji, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Christmas in Finland: Uploaded by Sigketill, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lavagem do Bonfim: Adenilson Nunes/ AGECOM, CC BY 2.0, source
- Timkat: Jean Rebiffé, CC BY 4.0, source
- Serbian Christmas: Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Perchta: Holger Uwe Schmitt, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Yule goat: John Bauer, Public domain, source
- Christmas carol: Prathyush Thomas, GFDL 1.2, source
- Twelfth Night: Hablot Knight Browne: scanned by Steven J Plunkett, Public domain, source
- Botafumeiro: Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez ( Lmbuga Commons )( Lmbuga Galipedia ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Christmas market: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Smorgasbord: Jordan Klein, CC BY 2.0, source
- Nativity scene: Yvonne Bentele, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Plough Monday: Rawpixel, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Parol: Ervin Malicdem, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Swabian-Alemannic Fastnacht: Photo: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0, source
- Vasilopita: Μυρμηγκάκι, Public domain, source