I have to admit that I experienced a sense of excitement, mixed with dread, when I saw the following headline this weekend, care of the Gannett wire here in Tennessee: “Why is Three Kings Day celebrated? Epiphany? And what does Rosca de Reyes have to do with king cakes?”
Most of the time, the contents of The Knoxville News Sentinel is dominated by University of Tennessee sports, coverage of bad Republicans doing bad things and updates about business and real-estate news in downtown neighborhoods favored by hip readers.
Coverage of the Feast of Epiphany — which follows the oft forgotten 12 days of Christmas — had the potential to offer unique details about traditions in local churches. But stories about Christian holy days are hard for many newsrooms, since they involve lots of picky facts about, you know, “religious stuff.”
OK, so what is wrong with this lede?
People around the world will celebrate Three Kings Day this weekend.
That lede could have said “Christians” and that would be vague, but OK. But, “people”?
Let’s keep reading, because things get a bit better and also rather strange at the same time.
In Hispanic communities, the day is known as Día de Los Reyes and is celebrated on Jan. 6 which is Saturday this year. The day is meant to honor the story revolving around the Three Wise Men or Magi who came to bring baby Jesus gifts after his birth. For those of the Christian and Catholic sects, it is known as the Epiphany.
The Hispanic reference is helpful, since Día de Los Reyes is a big deal and it’s totally appropriate in many zip codes to stress that. But what, in heaven’s name, is the point of this: “For those of the Christian and Catholic sects, it is known as the Epiphany.”
Think about that for a second. Catholicism is a “sect,” as opposed to being the world’s largest ancient Christian communion? And what are the other “sects” we are talking about here?
Journalists need to know that “sect” is a tricky word and, for many, it is what Southern folks like me call a “fightin’ word.” It’s not the same as “cult,” but it definitely means that there is an element of splinter group doctrine involved. This sociological definition is helpful:
Sect (noun) A small part of a larger religious group that in comparison often has unorthodox political or religious views.
(noun) Any group within a larger group with distinct beliefs and practices that deviate from the larger group.
What is the Christian norm in this story, the point of reference for these church-history facts?
It appears to be traditions among Catholic Hispanics, which, as I said before, is appropriate. But I would have enjoyed knowing what has happened to the Three Kings Day celebrations among the MILLIONS of Hispanics who are now members of evangelical and Pentecostal flocks (which, I guess, are “sects” in the framework of this confusing story).
The Church of Rome is the largest body of Christian believers in the world and, for many editors, this is the only church (or “sect”?) that matters in holiday coverage. But this story contains other information that makes the vague lede even more strange. Let’s keep reading:
The full name is Día de Los Tres Reyes Magos, but the name has been shortened to Día de Los Reyes which translates directly to "Day of The Kings". The holiday is widely celebrated in many Latin American and Caribbean countries.
That’s accurate, but the lede says that Three Kings Day is celebrated by “people … around the world.”
Wait, what is the holy day that is celebrated around the world?
Three Kings Day celebrates the day in the story of the Three Wise Men — Los Tres Reyes Magos — who gave gifts to Jesus Christ. Three Kings Day is also known by the name Epiphany and in the Orthodox Church, the holiday is known as Theophany and commemorates Christ's baptism.
Actually, the holy day, in Western churches, is Epiphany — which is then known in specific cultures as Three Kings Day.
Then, for millions of believers in the ancient churches of the East — the world’s second largest Christian communion — this holy day is called Theophany. There are many unique rites and celebrations linked to Theophany and, hey, they even take place in Tennessee communities like Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville (as in my own Oak Ridge parish).
Of course, for millions of Orthodox believers in bodies that follow the ancient Julian calendar all year long, Christmas was yesterday (January 7), which means Theophany is on January 19.
Religion is complicated.
In conclusion, what was the point of this Gannett wire story?
As I said earlier, the frame of reference for this wire report was clearly Hispanic culture in a Catholic context. Thus, readers are told:
With the foundation of this holiday being rooted in religion, people often attend church on Día de Los Reyes. But there are also gifts.
In many Hispanic cultures, children often receive the majority of their gifts from the Three Kings and not from Santa Claus at Christmastime.
That’s a valid news hook. But that doesn’t mean that journalists couldn’t have nailed down the basic Epiphany and Theophany facts describing rites in several hundreds of other congregations in Tennessee zip codes served by these newspapers.
So, who was interviewed for this important holy day story?
The answer appears to be “Google.”
References to Christians commonly held Epiphany rituals started by the fourth century A.D., according to Concordia Seminary.
OK, that’s a good seminary — in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Yes, these Protestant believers celebrate Epiphany, but why not call a few church historians in Catholic institutions? Then there is this:
Epiphany comes from the Greek word “epiphaneia” which means “appearance” or “manifestation,” and it refers to the manifestation of Jesus to the world, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
OK, why not call a Greek Orthodox church historian, as opposed to settling for a clip from an online encyclopedia?
Ah, but that would have led to information about Theophany. That would have complicated things.
But let’s face it — “religion stuff” is complicated. However, the facts matter — if the goal is to avoid printing news stories that cause believers in huge “sects” to spit coffee on their keyboards, smartphones or maybe even on flat surfaces made with ink and dead-tree pulp.
FIRST IMAGE: “Adoration of the Wise Men” icon, for sale at Etsy.com