The Journey of the Magi
The Journey of the Magi
Every year Christmas seems to appear ever earlier in the shops whilst department stores compete to create the best TV advert to persuade customers of their sincerity and tempt us with their food and gifts. Highclere also has a plan each Christmas and this year we have been inspired by the journey of the Three Wise Men. All the decorations, colours and themes in the main state rooms and the tea rooms are reflecting the traditions of this well-known Christmas story.
“All this was a long time ago, I remember,” wrote TS Eliot in the poem ‘The Magi’: such “a journey, and such a long journey: The ways deep and the weather sharp, The very dead of winter” One of the most familiar carols, “We Three Kings of Orient Are” reminds us of the both the gifts and the light: “We Three Kings of Orient are; bearing gifts we traverse afar, field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star. Refrain:
O star of wonder, star of light, star with royal beauty bright, westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light.” 
The Three Wise Men were distinguished emissaries who followed a star in the east to find Jesus after his birth. They brought with them gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh and were called Magi which suggest they were astrologers. They have become known most commonly as Balthasar, Melchior and Caspar. Paintings by artists such as Botticelli, Rubens and Hieronymus Bosch have cemented the image of them as three kings from faraway lands: Balthasar as a King of Ethiopia or sometimes Arabia, Melchior as a King of Persia and Caspar as a King of India. As you enter the Library you will find its inspiration from Balthasar who is often shown wrapped in a purple cloak. He gave the gift of myrrh to Jesus, an expensive sacred oil which symbolised the future death of a king as it was used to anoint a body before burial. 
The Music Room is all about gifts which is the bit that everyone loves about Christmas. Walk into the Drawing Room and you will find Caspar, a King of India traditionally portrayed with a reddish beard, who gave the gift of frankincense. Frankincense was traditionally burned in the temple as an offering to God therefore affirming that Jesus was no ordinary man. The Smoking Room is inspired by Melchior, a King of Persia along with peacocks which became the symbols of the Persian throne. Melchior, apparently the oldest of the three Magi, bought gold. 
Finally, the decorations in the Morning Room remind us they followed a star or possibly a comet. The heart of the castle, the Saloon, reflects the gold and the opulence of the Orient whilst the Dining Room considers the journey undertaken by the Three Kings. The traditional date for the feast of the Three Kings is January 6 whilst the eve of the feast is celebrated as Twelfth night. When the Magi arrived at the stable to find the tiny baby laid in a manager, they knelt down to pay homage and opened their treasure chests. They had however been warned in a dream not to return to King Herod in Jerusalem where they had originally enquired for the baby but to return to their own countries by a different route. So, we will have gold and lights and stars and lanterns and maybe even a camel. A little bit of glamour and fun and magic to light the way to a magical Christmas for all of us.
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51 Comments
Looks beautiful!
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Greetings from Sydney, Australia.
Highclere looks absolutely stunning.
What a magnificent way of commemorating the journey of the Magi.
My highest commendations to you on the thought and effort given to this celebration of Christmas. Well done to you and all involved.
Best wishes & kind regards,
Jeffery Sewell
Dear Karen,
Congratulations and best wishes on your forthcoming birthday. I also was born on Boxing Day. A great day and a wonderful time of year.
I have always found that people born on Boxing Day have a special love of Christmas. Maybe its because we had to wait almost a whole year before we had our first Christmas Day, that we enjoy the season so much.
Anyway, have a Happy Birthday, a Merry Christmas and a Peaceful New Year.
Regards,
Jeffery Sewell
Looks beautiful and a lot of hard work xx
Beautiful pictures and the wonderful stories with them all so very interesting thank you
Oh, your decorations based on the journey of the three wise men are inspiring! Merry Christmas from USA.
Absolutely beautiful! Those UFO ornaments are such fun! I love the tree in the saloon. It’s huge! And the table full of shiny gifts. You’ve got lots of Christmas spirit going on at Highclere.
I love the story of the Magi! How wonderful to bring that into the holiday decorations at Highclere ❤️
They are a bit eccentric!
Hello Lady Carnarvon
How tall is the tree this year?
How many baubles?
Guess many of them are older than you!
Carry on Christmas at Highclere.
Yes it is all a bit of a mountain to climb!
Thank you!
I think it is towards 27ft this year
So enchanting, Lady Carnarvon..it’s like falling into a magical dream where you just want to stand back and take it all in! Thank you for sharing with us!
So beautiful, I have such respect for all you do to keep Highclere a wonderful place for the future. Wishing you and your family many blessings this holiday season.
Thank you once again for an informative message. The rooms are all beautifully adorned. I'm re-reading 'Christmas at Highclere' as further inspiration. Please know that we send prayers & good thoughts to chef Paul Brooke-Taylor's family this holiday. He will always be watching over his family.
Thank you Amie, wishing you a peaceful holiday season too.
Lady Carnarvon,
You and your staff have definitely created another beautiful theme to celebrate Christmas-time. Thank you for sharing these lovely pictures. Is blue and gold the colors of the theme? The swags along the balcony are handsome.
Martha
Lovely the pictures of the journey of the magi and lovely Downton Abbey and highcelere castle
So true that you stated "Every year Christmas seems to appear ever earlier in the shops" as that is very true here in the USA as so many shops have Christmas items available for purchase months before which is before our October & November Traditional Holidays have occurred.
Lucky to all The Friends of Highclere who will attend your Christmas Holiday Tour December 14th as they will see all that historic Jesus related decoration items you have throughout!
Another informative historic Blog, thank you again Lady Carnarvon and to your staff for assisting you in all that decoration. Enjoy this Christmas Season & remain well!
Thank you Michelle. Sending best wishes to you and your family
Hello Martha
Yes indeed blue and gold are one of the themes.
So, so beautiful! There are two wonderful books on the Magi I would recommend, one an old fictional story by Henry Van Dyke called "The Story of the Other Wise Man," and one a new non-fiction book by Dwight Longenecker called "Mystery of the Magi." I remember when my son was little he sang "We Three Kings" in a Christmas pageant and he sang "We three kings of Orien Tar"--as if it was the name of a paving company! A good laugh we've never forgotten over all these ensuing Christmases.
Oh how I'd love to revisit Highclere at Christmas - to walk through all your lovely rooms you so vividly described today!
Lovely!
Stunning
Lady Carnarvon,
So beautiful...........a lot of hardwork but amazing results. Thank you for sharing.
Seasons greeting to you, Lord Carnarvon and all of your staff.
Angela
Everything looks so beautiful and all your hard work is a gift to all! We follow you weekly and wonder how we could ever be a Friend of Highclere. We were at Tylney Hall for Christmas last year and came by the property for a long walk but the castle was not open. Any information you can provide for a visit would be appreciated! Thank you and Happy Holidays
I can only dream of visiting Highclere and my dream is so real - your story of the Magi is so beautiful and puts me in the Christmas spirit - thank you! My very best wishes for a wonderful season ahead!
Absolutely beautiful to see the colours - and the tree! Thank you for the story of the Wise Men
- things in that which I had forgotten.
Interesting that your theme involves the story of The Magi. This year's Christmas Concert at Canadian Memorial United Church in Vancouver BC C A N A D A....is featuring a live performance of O Henry's Classic radio play, The Gift of the Magi. The play's message of love and sacrifice aligns beautifully with the themes of Christmas.
How lovely-- l can hardly wait to see it in person--l am coming on the Belmond train next Wed the 27th to see the castle. These photos and descriptions are a taste of the beauty and wonderment. Karen
How interesting!
Lady Carnarvon,
Greetings from California.
You have done a beautiful job making Highclere Castle extra radiant for Christmas!
I especially love the Magi statues set amidst sparkling scenes and that each gets his own room.
And thank you for all the history about the Magi.
How far in advance does your theme planning begin each year?
Lady Carnarvon,
Thank you for the lovely pictures and descriptions of the the Three Kings.
Carolyn T.
one year in advance!
What lovely decorations!
What a beautiful idea. I do admire the work and artistry. It inspires me to continue decorating my small farm house in Pennsylvania, even though not many will see it. I think that we do it for the sheer joy it brings! Best wishes.
I’m not sure I’ll be fortunate enough to travel to England for visit to Highclere, in my lifetime, so…your pictures and stories shared each week are especially beautiful and inspiring for me. Thank you and I’ll continue to watch for you each Monday! These Christmas decorations are absolutely beautiful!
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
This is all soooo lovely! Are you familiar with the short story, "The Gift of the Magi" written around 1905 by an American author with the pen name O. Henry? Do look it up, it will take you all of 8 minutes to read. It is the story of a very young couple, Della and Jim who are secretly trying to buy a Christmas gift for the other, each with very limited funds. Each sells a prized possession to come up with the money. Della sells her waist length hair to buy her husband a watch fob; Jim sells his family heirloom watch to buy Della jeweled hair combs. When they discover what each of them did they hug, and laugh but think of the Magi who gave the FIRST Christmas presents. It's a beautiful story and I hope you'll like it!
I wish you a joy-filled Christmas season! Thank you for your column today!
Yours,
Roberta Fox
Chicago
Lady Carnarvon,
Beautiful retelling of that glorious Bible story, and equally beautiful photos. Thank you so much. I love waking up on Monday mornings to your stories. From Texas, USA, we wish you and yours a blessed, Happy Christmas, and every blessing in the New Year!
Beautiful. Lovely to be able to share in this winter journey from the other side of the world where Christmas is celebrated in Summer!
What a beautiful tribute to the magi! A possibility I heard: Daniel of the Bible may have told of the prophesy of Jesus when he and the Israelites were captives in Babylonia. Since Daniel was highly regarded it would explain how the magi knew to find the Christ child.
Beautiful pictures and a beautiful house. I like the way you tell the story of Christmas in many rooms. Do you and Lord Carnarvon enjoy the Christmas period ?
I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and all the people who work at Highclere Castle, a very Christmas and a Happy New Year. Xx
Bill, what a marvelous project for your church! Will this performance be broadcasted in some form? O'Henry's story is certainly a classic, and I adore revisiting it each Christmas season!
Hi Lady Carnarvon,
I visited Highclere from Australia on the first Christmas tour on Wednesday and I thought the decorations complimented your house so well and were stunning.
I agree wholeheartedly with your thoughts on choosing the journey of the Magi as the theme for this year.
I think it is wonderful that you did so, as other stately home Christmas events that I'm visiting in the next two weeks, in Oxfordshire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire, don't have themes that relate to the true message of Christmas.
I wish you and your family a happy and healthy Christmas.
Greetings from Chicago, Illinois, USA..A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to Lord and Lady Carnarvon..
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
The Magi decorations are beautiful. It beings me memories of when I was a child. We were taught to wait for the Three Wise men every year and find gifts brought to little children that were good.
Apparently, the gold was not actually gold but Turmeric. This spice was exceptionally valuable at the time, hence it was translated to gold.
Dear Lady Carnarvon:
Belated thanks for this Monday's blog and the beautiful holiday photographs.
Until next time.
Perpetua Crawford
Lovely the pictures of the journey of the magi and did you and lord Carnarvon have a wonderful weekend and l love Christmas and my birthday is on Boxing Day and garden centre are very pretty with Christmas decorations for sale