Had to explain this tradition to my friends when they asked why our tree was still up.”-Maria V.Ī central part of any Three Kings Day celebration is, of course, the mouthwatering food. “We ABSOLUTELY could not take down our Christmas tree until that day. Another common tradition is leaving out grass and water for their camels.īecause the eve of Three Kings Day is also known as the Twelfth Day of Christmas, Latinx families will often leave their Christmas trees up until January 6th. Some children send their letter to the three kings by tying it to a balloon and releasing it into the air. Kids love to get their pictures taken with them.Ĭhildren put wish lists inside old shoes and leave them out for the wise men to fill with gifts. In Mexico and other Latin American countries, the three wise men, as the gift-givers, are more popular than Santa Claus. Three Kings Day brings beloved traditions that kids-and their parents-look forward to year after year. We always looked forward to the day they actually arrived to see baby Jesus.” -Luis B. We had the three kings figures ‘walk’ slowly and steadily as the days progressed. “As a kid growing up in Colombia, we created this huge manger. These gifts were symbolic of the baby’s destiny: gold represented the belief Jesus would be king of the Jews, frankincense symbolized his divine nature and myrrh represented the suffering Jesus would eventually endure in his lifetime.īecause of the cultural importance of this story, nativity scenes are often a part of Latinx households as a way to celebrate the arrival of the three kings. They presented the baby Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh on January 6th, precisely twelve days after Christmas. Inspired? Create and share by tagging Holiday With Rich HistoryĪccording to the biblical story, the Three Kings (also called wise men or magi), named Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar, followed the Star of Bethlehem to find the birthplace of the Christ Child. Three Kings Day has deep religious and cultural significance to the Latinx community. Each January 6th, Latinx families around the world celebrate Three Kings Day- Día de los Tres Reyes Magos or Día de Reyes for short-also known as the Feast of the Epiphany and the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas.
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