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More than Three Kings

Jan. 6 is the end of a long Christmas celebration in the Philippines.

The Three Kings. Image from BBC. UK
The Three Kings. Image from BBC. UK
Christmas trees and decorations are or have already been dismantled and put back in boxes for storage to be put out again come November after All Saints Day.

January 6 is Three Kings Day, when the Christian world pays tribute to the wisdom and good heart of the three Magis – Melchor, Gaspar and Baltazar – who defied the powers that be and traveled long to see the newly born King, Jesus. This was recounted by the disciple, Matthew.

I got an amusing text of a Filipino version of the Three Kings (which the Magis – wise men who indulge in astrology are invariably called) account.

Here’s the text:” Do you know that that originally there were six kings who saw the signs in the stars about the birth of Jesus? But only three reached Bethlehem.

What happened to the other three?

The fourth one followed the bright star and ended up in the United States. Not finding the Baby Jesus, he founded Burger King.

The fifth one also followed the guiding star and ended up on an endless wall which turned out to be the Great Wall of China. There was no Baby Jesus. Famished, he concocted something and shared with it with the community. That was the beginning of Chowking.

The star that the sixth Magi followed led him to the Philippines. He also didn’t find a Baby Jesus. But he went into cattle raising and later on put up an eatery: Tapa King.

That’s Filipino creativity and humor for you.

The legend about more than three kings who journeyed to pay homage to the new-born King of Kings has been taken up by other writers. The one by the famous novelist, Hnery van Dyke initially published in 1895, captures the essence of being a Christian.

The Other Wise ManTitled the “The Other Wise Man,” the story is about a priest or Magi named Artaban from Persia.

Like Gaspar, Melchor, and Baltazar, Artaban saw signs in the heavens that The King had been born. In one way or another he was able to communicate with the three and they agreed to meet at a certain place so they could travel in a caravan through the desert.

He gathered his treasures to offer to the new born King – a sapphire, a ruby, and a pearl of great price. Not far from where he started, he saw a dying man and he had to stop and help him.

When Artaban arrived at their meeting place, the three Magis had already left. Since he missed the caravan, and he can’t cross the desert with only a horse, he was forced to sell one of his treasures in order to buy the camels and supplies necessary for the trip.

He arrived in Bethlehem too late to see the child Jesus because Mary and Joseph with the baby had to flee Bethlehem to escape the evil plan of the paranoid King Herod. They went to Egypt.

Artaban traveled to Egypt and along the way, he encountered people who needed help. As always he stopped, using money from the sale of some of the treasures he brought, and helped them. His search for Jesus took him 30 years but he never saw him.

Artaban arrived in Jerusalem and went to the temple. There he learned that Jesus is being crucified in Calvary and he decided to go there. On his way out of the temple, he saw a woman being sold for slavery. He brought out his last treasure, a pearl, to ransom the young woman.

Then the earth shook. That was the hour of Jesus’ crucifixion. Some part of the temple’s roof fell on Artaban. As he was breathing his last, he heard a voice, “Verily I say unto thee, Inasmuch as thou hast done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, thou hast done it unto me.”

The Magi Artaban finally met the Lord, Jesus.

Published inReligion

7 Comments

  1. saxnviolins saxnviolins

    The story was told by Henry van Dyke.

    Dick van Dyke, born in 1925 (still alive) starred in Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, among others.

  2. baycas2 baycas2

    May isa pang “king.”

    “Laging Mainit, Laging Masarap”

  3. Another correction: Three Kings or the Feast of the Epiphany is now celebrated on the 1st Sunday of the year.

    That shows I’m not so up-to-date with the changes in the Catholic Church.

  4. baycas2 baycas2

    So, When Does Christmas End?

    When Christmas ends depends on the Rite (Latin or Eastern), the liturgical calendar (Ordinary or Extraordinary), and whether you’re looking for the end of the Christmas ‘feast’ or the end of the Christmas ‘season’. But overall, here is what sounds good to me:

    – The Christmas feast proper ends on the final day of its octave, which is the feast of Mary, the Mother of God, on January 1st. Keep your feasting and merriment going for the full 8 days.

    – The ‘peak’ of the Christmas ‘season’ is Epiphany, the end of the 12 Days of Christmas. Jesus is now revealed as a light to the Gentile nations. Keep your Christmas decorations, especially your Christmas tree and lights, up at least until this day is over; or better, 8 days for the full octave of Epiphany since historically this is such a major feast.

    – The official end of the entire Christmas season is the Baptism of the Lord the following weekend (the end of the octave of Epiphany), after which Ordinary Time begins. Keep your nativity scene displayed up through this day or until the Presentation of the Lord on February 2nd.

    https://www.catholiccompany.com/blog/does-christmas-end-on-epiphany

  5. Di ba yung 3 kings ang pangalan Johnny, Jinggoy at Bong? Hinakot nila yung lahat ng kayamanan ng Pilipinas para sa tagapagtanggol? Sinundan nila yung patay-sinding ilaw na asul at pula and behold! Napunta sila sa isang hacienda sa Batangas. Nagtanung-tanong sila kung saan matatagpuan sila Jesus, Joseph, at Mary alam niyo na ang sumunod. Ayun nagka-letse letse buhay natin.

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