journey's end

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stuck
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journey's end

Post by stuck »

Today (6th Jan, Epiphany) the Christian tradition celebrates the giving of gifts by the Three Kings to the infant Jesus (let's not quibble over the fact The Bible only refers to them as 'wise men').

This year, in our house, three 'kings' finally reached the little wooden nativity scene we have. They'd spent the previous twelve days of Christmas moving slowly across the shelf towards the stable.

Ken
Spoiler
threeKings.JPG
Yes, they are a bit out of scale relative to the rest of the scene
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HansV
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Re: journey's end

Post by HansV »

A nativity scene with penguins?
Best wishes,
Hans

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stuck
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Re: journey's end

Post by stuck »

HansV wrote:
06 Jan 2023, 16:50
A nativity scene with penguins?
Yes, King penguins.
Spoiler
Our eldest son had a trekking holiday in Patagonia in November. The wooden penguins were a simple souvenir from Ushuaia. They initially were put on the same shelf as the nativity scene but at the opposite end. The next morning, they had mysteriously moved a bit closer to the scene. When their movement was noted it was pointed out that it was logical to expect kings to be heading to the Nativity. Some joker then perpetuated this nonsense each night until this morning they were at journey's end.

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ChrisGreaves
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Re: journey's end

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stuck wrote:
06 Jan 2023, 17:04
... nonsense each night until this morning they were at journey's end.[/spoiler]
So in a way it's just another journeyman joke?
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Re: journey's end

Post by GeoffW »

In my wife's Mexican tradition, gifts are exchanged on January 6th, following on from the gifts of the three. It's also my wife's birthday - a significant one this year. And also the birthday of her little sister, who was born on my wife's 21st birthday.

This little sister is her only family member in Australia. So my wife's birthday is being celebrated with a Sydney Harbour cruise dinner the following day.

And as far as the three kings. I looked this up as I didn't know. They are called kings because of a couple of passages in the Old Testament referring to kings. The number isn't specified in the original account either. There were three gifts - but in some Eastern Christian traditions, there were twelve. According to that reliable source, Wikipedia.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblica ... %20Magi%20(%2F%CB%88m,of%20gold%2C%20frankincense%20and%20myrrh.

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Re: journey's end

Post by BobH »

I think today, Epiphany, is the day on which the priest of the Greek Orthodox Church in Tarpon Springs, Florida, tosses a golden cross into the bay and young men (teenagers) dive for it. The one who retrieves it is supposed to have great good fortune in the coming year. I think there are other accolades from within the community or the church, too.

I witnessed this in the mid '90s after having heard about it from Greek friends and classroom activities many many years earlier.
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ChrisGreaves
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Re: journey's end

Post by ChrisGreaves »

BobH wrote:
06 Jan 2023, 22:01
The one who retrieves it is supposed to have great good fortune in the coming year.
Bit of a no-brainer, isn't it?
If I managed to get hold of a gold coin, I'd consider that a very great good fortune, if not a very great Huge good fortune! :laugh:
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Re: journey's end

Post by GeoffW »

They can't have really been three kings, without a huge power struggle happening along the way. Right now, two English princes are fighting tooth and nail. How could three kings have travelled all that distance in peace?

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Re: journey's end

Post by ChrisGreaves »

GeoffW wrote:
06 Jan 2023, 22:09
... How could three kings have travelled all that distance in peace?
They almost certainly didn't.
Close examination of the image shows that they were re-assembled from peaces. :groan:
Either some sort of bitumen glues them together, or the water in their joints froze solid.
"We three kings, of hoary and tar; ..." :sing: :groan: :groan:
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Jay Freedman
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Re: journey's end

Post by Jay Freedman »

"We three kings, of hoary and tar; ..." :sing:
Tried to smoke a rubber cigar.
It was loaded, it exploded!
Now we sit on yonder star. :groan:

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Re: journey's end

Post by Graeme »

Nice nativity Ken.

Epiphiny is that day when you come home from work and the missus has taken all the Christmas decorations down and the house looks strangely bland!
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Re: journey's end

Post by GeoffW »

Graeme wrote:
07 Jan 2023, 06:20
Nice nativity Ken.

Epiphiny is that day when you come home from work and the missus has taken all the Christmas decorations down and the house looks strangely bland!
Ah, so that's what happened. I've just had an epiphany!

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stuck
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Re: journey's end

Post by stuck »

GeoffW wrote:
06 Jan 2023, 22:09
...without a huge power struggle happening along the way...
Funny you should mention that
Spoiler
one morning we found the three King penguins hadn't moved along the shelf but were in a huddle, as if they were discussing something. We surmised it was because they'd realised they were approaching the stable from the west. The next morning one of the angels appeared to be guiding them and they had moved on again.