El Día de los Reyes Magos, 2023
18 January, 2023
On January 6, many Latin American countries celebrated the twelfth day of Christmas, El Día de Los Reyes Magos or Three Kings Day. This holiday honors the day the Three Wise Men gave gifts to Jesus Christ. The night before El Día de Los Reyes, Latino children wrote a wishlist and put it in their shoes or attached it to a balloon, hoping it would reach the Three Wise Men in the sky and that Balthazar would bring them gifts instead of Santa.
The children and their families honored Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar (the three wise men) by having a large feast. They ate Rosca de Reyes, a sweet, ring-shaped bread with candied fruit baked for this holiday. Another thing families do is the “wreath of kings”. The “wreath of kings” represents a crown and has a plastic baby Jesus hidden inside. Finding this surprise is an obligation to host an upcoming party for Día de la Candelaria (Candlemas Day) on February 2. In addition, they also drank hot chocolate during their feast. Mexican hot chocolate has several unique ingredients, including chili or other spices that add an extra shock to the traditional taste.
On January 5th in Madrid, Spain, there was a parade called “Cabalgata de Los Reyes Magos.” Dancers, musicians, puppeteers, and the Three Kings paraded on floats through central Madrid. Participants threw candy and gifts down to the children, and some were caught by upside-down umbrellas.
In New York City, Sueño de Reyes (Dream of Kings) children’s theater reenacted the arrival of the Three Kings. Then, Annette Aguilar & Stringbeans, BombaYo!, and Fogo Azul marched up Park Avenue from 106th St to 115th St during the 46th Three Kings Day Parade NYC 2023. Finally, the El Museo Three Kings Day 2023 Celebration; featuring Milteri Tucker, Bombazo Dance Co, and a parranda; was at El Museo del Barrio.
Sources:
https://www.chido-fajny.com/2015/01/reyes-magos-day.html
https://devourtours.com/blog/los-reyes-magos-the-spanish-christmas-tradition/?cnt=US