Three Wise Men

In Christian tradition the Magi, also referred to as the Three Wise Men, or Three Kings, are said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts. In Mathew it states that they came "from the east" to worship the Christ; Matthew does not mention their number, but because three gifts are mentioned as having been given to the Christ Child, traditionally there are thought to have been three Magi.


After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? They had seen his star in the east and come to worship him. When King Herod heard this he was troubled. Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and told them to find the child. When they found the child they were to report back to Herod so that he too may go and “worship him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way. When child they where overjoyed. On coming to the HOUSE (not stable), they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. They then presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
They are mentioned twice shortly thereafter, in reference to their avoidance of Herod after seeing Jesus, and of what Herod had learned from their earlier meeting.

The visit of the Magi must have taken place several months after the birth of Jesus. Evidence for this can be found in the Matthew 2:11. “And when they were come into the HOUSE, they saw the young child with Mary his mother…” Two things are reviled in this sentence. One: Jesus Christ was not a baby, he was a young child. And 2: the visit did not take place at the manger where he was born, but in a house. Another verse that leads to the belief that Jesus was about two years old at the time of the visit can be found in Matthew 2:16. In this verse Herod sent a decree that all children under the age of 2 were to be killed. He choose the age 2 because of the information that he acquired from the Magi of the exact time of the stars appearance. It is safe to assume that Herod wouldn’t have ordered a massacre of children from two years old and under if the Wise Men had given him the information that the Christ child was just born the day before. It can also be implied from Herod’s inquiries that the Wise Men set out from their homes from the day Jesus was born, which would have been the night they saw the star, which means they probably had to travel for awhile to get to Bethlehem.

Holidays celebrating the arrival of the Magi traditionally recognize the distinction between the date of their arrival and the date of Jesus' birth.
Christianity celebrates the Magi on the day of Epiphany, January 6, the last of the twelve days of Christmas, particularly in the Spanish-speaking parts of the world. In these Spanish-speaking areas, the three kings receive wish letters from children and magically bring them gifts on the night before Epiphany. According to the tradition, the Magi come from the Orient on their camels to visit the houses of all the children. They visit everyone in one night. In some areas, children prepare a drink for each of the Magi, it is also traditional to prepare food and drink for the camels, because this is the only night of the year when they eat.
In France and Belgium, the holiday is celebrated with a special tradition: within a family, a cake is shared, which contains a small figure of baby Jesus, known as the broad bean. Whoever gets the "bean" is "crowned" king for the remainder of the holiday
In New Orleans, Louisiana, parts of south Texas, and surrounding regions, a similar ring-shaped cake known as a "King Cake.” The baby Jesus is represented by a small, plastic doll inserted into the cake from underneath, and the person who gets the slice with the figurine is expected to buy or bake the next King Cake. Most of these cakes are made with cinnamon-flavored twisted dough, thin frosting, with additional sugar on top in the traditional Mardi Gras colors of gold, green, and purple.

When I hear stories about the Three Wise Men who visited the baby Jesus Christ, I wonder what would had have happened had they been three wise women.
For a start they would have arrived on time, mainly because they would have asked for directions along the way. They would have helped to deliver the baby, cleaned and tidied up the stable and made a meal for Joseph and Mary. Above all, they would have brought along some really useful and practical gifts.