Church Matters.

Byline: By Francis Wood

Men of mystery

christmas isn't over until the Wise Men arrive. But who were they? St Matthew's Gospel hardly makes it clear and he leaves us to guess how many there were. There's no mention of three of them. There could have been lots. He calls them Magi, astrologers studying the stars. As for coming to the stable, we're told they found the holy family in a house!

Yet the visit of the Magi is an event which makes one of the favourite parts of the Christmas story. They were first called Kings in the second century and given the names Kaspar, Melchior and Balthazar. The Empress Helena claimed to have found their relics which are now kept in Cologne Cathedral.

Do the details of the story matter? I think not as the whole point of the coming of the Wise Men is to show that Christ came to earth for all people. They travelled far to get there setting an example to all who go on pilgrimage today. In Austria, villagers dressed as the three go from house-to-house, greeting people and receiving hospitality. They sign their initials K.M.B. in chalk over the door to show that they called. The Queen too, takes part in a little known ceremony in the Chapel Royal on January 6 each year. She offers gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh at the altar.

My favourite memory of Epiphany is of trudging with torches across snowbound fields in Surrey to get to a tiny country chapel for 6.30am mass. Throughout the service I could hear deep snoring behind me. Only when I returned from receiving communion did I see a large St Bernard dog asleep and stretched along the pew. You get that kind of thing at early services and I'm sorry they're losing their appeal today. Most churches now keep the feast next Sunday at a less demanding hour.

NEW YEAR CUSTOMS

After all the customs of Christmas, carols, cards and candles, trees and tinsel, stockings and Santa Claus our British New Year with just drinking and good resolutions is barren by comparison. So I was delighted to find the parish magazine of St John's Whorlton this month has a round up of New Year customs from round the world. In ancient Egypt, they counted their New Year from when the River Nile flooded, usually in September. Then they knew they would be able to grow crops in the desert. The Romans called their new year Calends and Julius Caesar named the first month January after the two-headed god Janus who looks backward in memory and forward in hope. In Scotland and indeed in Allendale, they burn barrels of tar to burn off the old year while the Chinese celebrate some time between January 17 and February 19 whenever the new moon appears.

DIARY DATES FOR SATURDAY DECEMBER 30

SUNDAY: St Bartholomew's Benton. Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. 6pm. Durham Cathedral. Churches Together Service. 6.15pm.

NEXT SATURDAY: Park Methodist Church Jarrow. Coffee Morning with stalls. 10am. St George's Cullercoats. Epiphany Procession and Eucharist. 10am. Heaton Methodist Church. Twelfth Night Party. 6.30pm. Wesley Methodist Church, Low Fell. Family New Year Party. 6.30pm. Please send items for CHURCH MATTERS to Francis Wood, 52 Albemarle Avenue, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 3NQ or telephone [phone].