The Three Kings’ Day: A real Bavarian tradition

As you’ll have noticed if you read this blog regularly, we’re not just about Bavarian fashion – as much as we love our lederhosen and dirndls – but also like to take a look at the traditions and lifestyle of Munich and Bavaria. Last year, we looked Christmas and New Year, and so this year, we thought we’d look at another holiday in Bavaria – which follows on Twelfth Night.

The Bible has it that the twelfth day after Jesus’ birth was the day of Epiphany – i.e. the day on which it became clear that Jesus Christ was the son of God after the Three Wise Men (also called the Three Kings) had recognised him as such. That’s of course what gives epiphany with a small e its meaning of experiencing a revelation – and is reason enough for Christians to rejoice on 6^th January.

And Bavaria is nothing if not Christian, so 6^th January a state holiday there (Catholic Bavaria enjoys significantly more such days off than other parts of Germany, especially the protestant bit). While the atheists among the population simply spend a little longer in bed, churchgoers get ready for mass on what is known as Dreikönigstag. For Bavarians of Orthodox denominations (i.e. with Greek or Russian heritage), Twelfth Night is big too, and the Greek church in Munich celebrates every year by lowering a crucifix into the icy waters of the Isar river. This is certainly an odd Bavarian tradition inasmuch as it seems somehow morbid to submerge a cross in water, but well…

Meanwhile, children pull out their costumes and go around as the Three Wise Men or Three Kings Casper, Melchior, and Balthasar, singing carols and offering to bless the homes of those they call at by writing the year interspersed with the initials of the kings as a formula: this year, it’s 20 C + B + M 15, and on many older houses, they may find that space on the walls is getting tight. The oldest such blessing we spotted in Munich was 19 C + B + M 99! It was quite high up the wall, however.

In other parts of Bavaria, however, many adults might finish the evening a little too tipsy to write legibly, so it’s a good job that they leave the formula to the kids – even if they can’t reach up to find unscribbled space on the wall. Why so drunk? Because they crack open a cask of extra strong beer for the occasion!

Now that’s a Bavarian tradition on Twelfth Night that you don’t need to be religious to enjoy…