The Epiphany season, which begins on Epiphany Day, January 6, varies in length depending on the date set for Easter. It lasts until Septuagesima Sunday, 64 days before Easter. With the exception of Easter, it is the oldest season of the church year. In the early church, it was a time when new converts were admitted to the church after a period of preparation.
Like several other Christian seasons, Epiphany was appropriated by the church from a pagan festival. As early as 1996 B.C., the Egyptians celebrated the winter solstice (which then occurred on January 6) with a tribute to Aeon, the Virgin. At first, Epiphany was a celebration of both the birth and baptism of Jesus.
After Christmas became a separate season, Epiphany became an observance of Jesus’ baptism in the Eastern church and of the visit of the Magi in the Western church.
“Epiphany” means “to be made manifest,” and Epiphany observances emphasize the manifestation of Jesus as “Light to the Gentiles” and the “Glory of Israel” to Simeon when Jesus was presented at the temple, the manifestation of Jesus as God’s beloved Son at His baptism, and the manifestation of Jesus to the whole world as represented by the Wise Men of the East. In fact, the earliest Epiphany observances were based on the Jewish Feast of Lights, which today is called “Hanukkah” (“Dedication”).
The Jewish holiday celebrates the rededication of the temple under the Maccabees, but the Christian observance of Epiphany celebrates the astonishing revelation that it is in Jesus Christ that God dwells on earth among all people. Jesus made many references to himself as the true temple (e.g. John 2:12-22). The liturgical color for the Epiphany season is white.