The Holy Innocents commemorates the children of Bethlehem slaughtered by King Herod in his attempt to eliminate the newborn 'King of the Jews' reported by the Magi. Matthew records that Herod, 'when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under.' The feast has been observed since at least the fourth century and honors these unnamed children as the first martyrs for Christ.