Show EPIPHANY HANY TIME OF GIFT GIVING my aly daily prayer this year threshold of a new year epiphany being the time of gift giving in in many lands presents are associated with the wise men and their gift bearing satellites according to spanish legend the wise men pass through spain each year on epiphany eve as they journey to bethlehem to pay homage to i the christ child children envisioning the procession of the magi wen wending d its way across the horizon the gem set crowns and blazing torches melting with the sunset place their shoes on window sills and balconies before before going to bed the shoes are filled with hay for the wise mens horses on epiphany morning the hay is gone and toys and s sweet reet meats overflow such receptacles bedana was cleaning house when the wise men stopped to inquire how near they y were to bethlehem be fana knew nothing about bethlehem nor had she heard of the holy infant whom the magi were seeking so she finished her sweeping and went to bed but bedana could not sleep the regal cortege which had passed her door the bright star which gleamed in the sky ind and her own premonitions haunted her so bedana started for bethlehem at midnight on epiphany eve alas the magic hour had passed and although bedana has wandered ever since she has never found her way to bethlehem that is why la bedana brings toys and confections confect ions to italian children on epiphany eve and russian ba bouska holds a candle to the face of each sleeping child while she slips a present under his pillow hoping that some day she will find the babe of bethlehem |