An epiphany...

well sort of, at least that is what I am saying happened to me on the way to work this morning... an epiphany on the Epiphany. The online dictionary gives the following definitions of "epiphany" as

1. Epiphany

a. A Christian feast celebrating the manifestation of the divine nature of Jesus to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi.

b. January 6, on which this feast is traditionally observed.

2. A revelatory manifestation of a divine being.

3. a. A sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something.

b. A comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization: "I experienced an epiphany, a spiritual flash that would change the way I viewed myself" (Frank Maier).

 

And so as this day is the 6th of January I am accurate in saying on the Epiphany  and although what I thought is a long way from a spiritual flash it did change the way I viewed things... not a major change or even a significant change but it changed the way I thought about things that were not there. That's right...you have followed this vague meandering course of my thinking. It's the Epiphany and our apartment  buildings Christmas decorations have been taken down. Again the source of many things Google and wikipedia have helped me out here with my vague remembrance that one should have ones Christmas decorations down by January 7. Well I had that wrong didn't I ... it is January 6 but still I knew there was a reason for it... 

A recent tradition in some English-speaking countries holds that it is unlucky to leave Christmas decorations hanging after Twelfth Night, a belief originally attached to the festival of Candlemas (2 February).

Apart from being the title of a great Shakespearean play Twelfth Night is a festival in some branches of Christianity marking the coming of the Epiphany and concluding the Twelve Days of Christmas.
Once I started this piece of "research"I had more questions and found other information ... Twelfth Night  is defined by the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary as "the evening of the fifth of January, preceding Twelfth Day, the eve of the Epiphany, formerly the last day of the Christmas festivities and observed as a time of merrymaking". However, there is currently some confusion as to which night is Twelfth Night some count the night of Epiphany itself (sixth of January) to be Twelfth Night. One source of this confusion is the Medieval custom of starting each new day at sunset, so that Twelfth Night precedes Twelfth Day.
 

This had me thinking two things- one: I missed a "time of merrymaking"- how did that happen? And two: It is why the food cart didn't have its Christmas and New Year lights on today just back to it's normal "Times Square competing" light show. I took the photo in a rush as I was on my way to work, crossing 7th Avenue and running a little late as I had overslept but dear reader (I use this term in my head a bit like Phillip Adams on late night Radio Australia does when he says "and so dear listener" always believing that there is only one person listening, or in my case reading, ever) I paused long enough to take this particularly bad shot. However I had promised (yesterday) that I would take one and so I hope you forgive its poor quality and realize I have been true to my word.

I continued with my "get off a stop earlier" plan today but chose the shorter route- don't want to overdo this things. So today my meandering home took me off the train at 51st Street and Lexington. This allowed me to walk back along 51st and I did stop to look at some head scarf thingies but they were on the corner of 51st and 5th so I believe the prices were higher than in other places- it was only $10 and $2 more than elsewhere- perhaps nicer than others I had seen but still there is always the chance that they were trying to rip me off or making the most of their location and tourists.



A slight digression on my journey home. Keeping to 51st I cut through to the Rockefeller Center Plaza and couldn't resist photographing part of the Anthropologie window display.
They do such great fun seasonal displays and they are changed often so always good for a look at them. Apart from anything else there is a degree of wit and humour, sometimes whimsy in them.




Then to my surprise I noticed (hard to miss really) that the Rokefeller Center Tree is still up! Don't they know it is the Epiphany/ Twelfth Night? Don't they know it is bad luck etc etc.

 It was a great chance to get a photo as there weren't the crowds and crowds and crowds of people around.
Finally the real purpose of my digression through this way was to avoid the crowds that are around the corner of Radio City Music Hall and to also visit the Magnolia Bakery. Not that one needs a reason to go to the Magnolia Bakery but I had an excuse. I was getting "a little something" to cheer Sue up!
The odd angle of the photo is because I was taking it using one hand to hold the bag and the other to take the photo while waiting for the lights on 6th Avenue to change.




The reason for the need to cheer her up was she had hurt herself while traveling to work- missed a step on the subway- lucky not to have broken her ankle as Julia unluckily did at a school a few years ago. However Sue has been resting up for a couple of days and I figured "a little something" like half a yummy chocolate frosting chocolate cupcake and a macaroon  would do the trick. And it did- she looks much better today.
Here she is resting her knee and using the laptop tray that was one of her Christmas presents (I got one too).