Talk:Epiphany (holiday)

Latest comment: 5 months ago by Indyguy in topic Feast of John the Baptist seems suspicious

Astronomical Connection

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My understanding is that the Epiphany is the first day where the derivative of the day length is enough that you notice the day getting longer.

Thus it seems like a revelation and caps off the "12 days of Christmas". You might wonder why Christmas isn't quite aligned with the solstice and it's because the Epiphany is aligned against an astronomical event and the Christmas season is aligned iwth that. I'd like to see that elaborated in this article. 50.48.95.209 (talk) 22:54, 6 January 2025 (UTC)Reply

Edits by User:TheJoyfulTentmaker

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User:TheJoyfulTentmaker has added the Arabic name for the holiday twice to this English Wikipedia article. I would ask that he please gain consensus for doing this. "Eid al-Ghitas" is not an English-language name used for the Epiphany and I think that is should not be in the lede. I invite others to comment here to share their comments. I am pinging User:Pbritti and User:Indyguy to this discussion as they are both heavily involved in editing WikiProject Christianity-related articles. Thanks, AnupamTalk 04:28, 16 January 2025 (UTC)Reply

Yeah, looks like there isn't a good case for including that language's name in the lead. I'm unaware of the Epiphany being something particularly celebrated by Arab Christians compared to other apostolic traditions. ~ Pbritti (talk) 04:33, 16 January 2025 (UTC)Reply
Hi, thanks for starting this discussion. I added two English sources, and there are many more with various spelling variations of Eid al-Ghitas[1][2] (Ghettas, Ghits, Ghitas, and it has even entered Turkish as Kiddes.) Why wouldn't it belong to the lede? Epiphany isn't an originally English word either. Both Epiphany and Eid al-Ghitas are borrowed from other languages, but used in English sources. TheJoyfulTentmaker (talk) 04:42, 16 January 2025 (UTC)Reply
@A455bcd9: I'd be curious about your thoughts, if you have time. TheJoyfulTentmaker (talk) 04:46, 16 January 2025 (UTC)Reply
Hi @TheJoyfulTentmaker. I agree with other editors: it's not needed in the lede. In Epiphany_(holiday)#Oriental_Orthodox we mention the local names so we can add the Arabic one there. a455bcd9 (Antoine) (talk) 09:13, 16 January 2025 (UTC)Reply
The mention in the section on Egypt seems appropriate to me. However, I don't think it belongs in the Etymology section because that is talking about the derivation of the English term Epiphany. Unless there is a reliable source stating that the English word is derived from the Arabic one (which I strongly doubt), it's not pertinent in that section. Indyguy (talk) 04:54, 16 January 2025 (UTC)Reply
WP:UEIA "The body of each article, preferably in its first paragraph, should list all frequently used names by which its subject is widely known. " ... And adding more English-language sources that use Al Ghitas. I don't understand why you believe it should be removed from the lead. , , , . TheJoyfulTentmaker (talk) 05:18, 16 January 2025 (UTC)Reply

References

  1. Makary, Marina (2023-01-17). "Why do Coptic Christians in Egypt Eat Taro on Feast of the Epiphany? | Egyptian Streets". Retrieved 2025-01-06.
  2. Khoury, Yvette (2010-12-30). "Who says Christians and Muslims can't live together?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-01-16.

Eastern Orthodox meaning needs elaboration

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Different meaning, in parts different name (Feast of the Epiphany or of the Theophany). Arminden (talk) 15:44, 28 January 2025 (UTC)Reply

Feast of John the Baptist seems suspicious

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Text lists unusual details about a so-called feast of John the Baptist in January. AFAIK, there are two celebrations for John the Baptist, one in June and one in August. Neither one of them commemorate "when the numerous Johns and Joans celebrate their name-day" which is written into this article. ~2025-43362-38 (talk) 11:09, 27 December 2025 (UTC)Reply

It is the Eastern Orthodox who celebrate John the Baptist on January 7. I added a citation from his article and removed the statement about "name-day" because it is not mentioned in that citation and isn't particularly pertinent anyway. Indyguy (talk) 15:05, 27 December 2025 (UTC)Reply