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Glite Dictionary
⛪ Christian holiday 🏛️ US Capitol event
January 6

January 6

1 1.4
A Christian festival marking the visit of the three wise men to the baby Jesus
  • noun
translation icon : 6 de enero
  • January 6, 2011 at 7:31 PM

Examples

  • And also in that same speech (Assure the survival and the success of liberty, January 6, 1961).

    Blog text (25)

  • The deadline for submissions is January 6, 2013.

    Blog text (25)

  • January 6 is a date of great weight in the Catholic Church.

    Blog text (25)

  • Many Christians celebrate the visit of the wise men to Jesus on January 6.

  • The festival of Epiphany, which falls on January 6, commemorates the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles.

  • In some cultures, January 6 marks the end of the Christmas season with festivities honoring the three kings.

Synonyms

Epiphany
vsJanuary 6
1 7.2

A Christian festival on January 6 that celebrates the visit of the three wise men to the baby Jesus

is the fixed calendar date observed by many Christian traditions
Epiphany of Our Lord
vsJanuary 6
8.4

A Christian festival twelve days after Christmas to remember the visit of the wise men to the baby Jesus

is described by its fixed calendar date rather than relative timing
Three Kings' Day
vsJanuary 6
4.9

A Christian holiday twelve days after Christmas that remembers the visit of three wise men to baby Jesus

is referred to by its specific church calendar date rather than a popular name
Twelfth day
vsJanuary 6
8.1

A day twelve days after Christmas when Christians remember the visit of the three wise men

is the precise calendar date rather than a relative post-Christmas day

Surface Forms

January 6 singular

Morphology

January + six

Although the words literally compose a date ('January' + 'six'), the specialised meaning as a label for the Capitol attack is a culturally specific, metonymic use that cannot be derived from the constituent meanings alone. An average B1 learner who knows the words would understand the date but would not be able to infer the event-reference without prior cultural or media knowledge.

Etymology

January 6 comes from the Christian story of the three wise men who visited the baby Jesus on that day. Because of that visit, many churches and countries call January 6 'Epiphany' and celebrate it as the end of the Christmas season.