Janeir-6-acem Sogglem Santam

Menology Entry for January 6: 

Feast of the Epiphany of the Three Magian Kings (Reis Magos) (link); the Magi Kings hailed from cadet branches of the East Iranian Parthian (Pahlava) or Arsacid  Dynasty driven out, & supplanted, by the Sasanian Dynasty by stirring up popular prejudice against the Parthians as barbarous & "half-castes;" branches of the Arsacid imperial dynasty became local kings in Armenia, & elsewhere, & in the former Parthian territories of the Indus River Basin, progressively being pushed further south, became the Pallava Dynasty of the Tamil country, lastly driven into Far South Tamilnad, & Jaffna in Ceylon, in communication with Jewish, Greek & Roman merchants, & where they preserved the teachings they had learned from the Prophet St. Daniel (Daniel ii, 48) which enabled them to recognize the portents of the birth of the Messias Jesus Christ, & to travel to Israel to greet & worship the Promised new born Savior & King of humanity (Mt. ii); 

Feast of Our Lady of the Three Kings or La Virgen de los Reyes on the island of El Hierro in the Canaries: (N.B.: This feast is usually recorded on international Marian calendars as being for Jan. 5, which is an error!) In 1546, a ship headed for the Americas passed by the Punta de la Orchilla, at the western end of the island of El Hierro in the Canaries. However, the ship could not get out of the becalmed seas, sailing in circles incessantly for several days. Finally, on Jan. 6, the food on board ran out & they had to go ashore to ask for food. The shepherds of El Hierro provided them with provisions for the hard journey, in exchange & in gratitude, the sailors gave the shepherds the "only thing of value they had on the ship," an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. From this moment on, a gentle breeze began to blow & the ship was able to sail away towards the New World. The shepherds guarded the Virgin whom they called "of the Kings" ("de los reyes") in honor of the day of its arrival on the island (Feast of the Epiphany to the Three Kings). The image was deposited in the Caracol, in the cave that they called from that moment on "Cave of the Virgin." There they venerated her & offered her their gifts, in this way, she became the protector & Patrona of La Dehesa, of the cattle & later of the entire island. Later, a hermitage was built near the Caracol, which shelters the image & the shepherds on cold, damp nights. On Monday, April 25, 1577, the first mass was celebrated & sung in the  sanctuary, which is now called the Insular Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Kings. Since then, an annual festival has been held in honor of the Virgin of the Kings on April 25, a festival that continues to be celebrated to this day as the Fiesta de los Pastores, or the Feast of the Shepherds. In 1643 A.D., the Virgin of the Kings was credited with ending a severe drought that had ravaged the island, for which reason, she was also proclaimed the "Patron saint of the rainwaters." In 1740 A.D., El Hierro was again afflicted by another severe drought, which devastated its livestock & decimated its inhabitants. To beg for her help, the Hierrenes went to the Caracol cave to ask Our Lady of the Three Kings for the boon of rainwater; they raised the icon of their mother & carried her in a prayerful procession towards Valverde, but upon reaching the mountain of Ajare, a miracle happened: A torrential rain fell upon the island! From this miracle, Our Lady of the Three Kings was acclaimed as the Patrona or patron saint of the entire island of El Hierro; until that time & since 1405 A.D., the patron saint of the island used to be the Immaculate Conception, which is still venerated in the parish of the same name in the island's capital. To celebrate the 1740 deliverance, & to demonstrate filial gratitude, a Festival of the Descent of Our Lady of the Three Kings, or Bajada de la Virgen de los Reyes, is observed every four years, except on leap years. The descent lasts approximately one month until the first Saturday of August, after which the Virgin of the Kings returns to her sanctuary in La Dehesa for another four years, in a return pilgrimage known as the La Subida de la Virgen de los Reyes. Apart from the descent every four years, the Virgin is also celebrated every January 6, the anniversary of her arrival on the island, on April 25, at the "Fiesta de los Pastores" (Festival of the Shepherds) & every September 24, being the Great Day of Our Lady of the Three Kings, this last day being an island holiday. The statue received  canonical coronation on May 17, 1953 A.D., in accordance with a Pontifical Brief of Pope Pius XII, performed by the bishop of Tenerife at the time, Don Domingo Perez Caceres. The present icon or image or statue is not the original, for, as the original had deteriorated over time, it was thrice repaired, & renovated, &, regrettably, altered (link); 

Account #2: January 6 is a red letter day for the inhabitants of El Hierro. Tradition has it that, on the shores of Orchilla, on January 6, 1546 A.D., on the Feast of the Epiphany, & of the Three Kings, a shop took shelter from a storm, & the sailors traded a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary to local shepherds, in exchange for food supplies for a hard journey to the Americas. The icon was placed in what till then was called the Cave of the Snail ("Cueva del Caracol"), which from that time became the Cave of Our Lady, La Cueva de la Virgen, a place of worship for the shepherds who offered gifts to the Virgin in honor of the day the image was obtained. According to historical records, Our Lady of the Three Kings then became the protector & patron of the people & animals of La Dehesa, & thanks to the contributions of the shepherds, who offered for this purpose their first born lambs & the first cheeses produced, a shrine was built in the vicinity of Caracol. The first Mass celebrated in the shrine of the Virgen de los Reyes took place on April 25, 1577. For this reason, each April 25 there is a festivity in honor of Our Lady of the Three Kings known as the Feast of the Shepherds (link); 

Account #3: Our Lady of the Three Kings or La Virgen de los Reyes is the Patrona, or patron saint of the island of El Hierro in the Canaries. Located close to El Sabinar on the high hillside cliffs of the western coasts of the island, it's often surrounded by heavy mist & battered by storms. Every 4 years she is honored by all the inhabitants of the island in a special event: La Bajada de la Virgen de los Reyes or The Descent of Our Lady of of the Three Kings, which takes place on the first Saturday of July when the icon is carried away from the church, taken walking down the hillside to Valverde, the capital city of the island, in a 28 kilometer hike going from village to village. Every islander & hordes of curious tourists join this unique pilgrimage honoring & remembering the story in which during two terrible droughts, in 1643 & 1740 A.D., she provided torrential rains so that the islanders & their cattle could survive. Photo below is of the 1957 procession, obtained from bajadaelhierro.com. The event lasts over a month with several celebrations on the island and finishes wish the people taking the icon of their Patrona back up the hill to her church (link); 

St. John (Juan) Ribera, Bishop of Badajoz, & then of Valencia, died Jan. 6, 1611 A.D., many miracles are attributed to his intercession; he was beatified Sept. 18, 1796 by Pope Pius VI, not yet canonized by a Catholic Pope; St. John persuaded the King of Spain to expel the false convert Moriscos, Mahomettan Infidels, who were corrupting the old vigorous Castilians that are the backbone of the Spanish state;