Dia de Los Reyes – Three Kings’ Day
What is Three Kings’ Day?
El Día de Los Reyes marks the end of the holiday season in Mexico, starting on the 12th of December, which is the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe (Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe). This period of time is also known as the Guadalupe-Reyes Marathon (El Maraton Guadalupe-Reyes). It is like a long party that starts in December and ends on the Three Kings’ Day. It is the worst time to be in Mexico if you want to get some good sleep, but the best time if you like to party.. There are fireworks, posadas, and mariachi all over the place all day and night. It’s the perfect time to visit if you want to truly experience and expand your knowledge of Mexican culture.
When is Three Kings’ Day Celebrated?
Every 6th of January, the Mexicans celebrate the Three Kings’ Day (El Día de Los Reyes). It is a unique religious holiday, and since the vast majority of Mexicans are Catholic, it’s an important tradition in Mexico.
How is Three Kings’ Day Celebrated?
The Three Kings’ Day or the Feast of the Epiphany is celebrated to honor the Three Wise Men – Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar. What stands out during this occasion is the special bread they serve, called the Rosca de Reyes.
Also, in some parts of Mexico, kids write letters to the Three Kings for presents that are to be delivered on that day. While many families are replacing this tradition with Santa during Christmas, some families in Mexico don’t talk much about or recognize Santa as a deliverer of gifts during the holiday season.
It is said that the Three Kings or better known as the Three Wise Men followed the Estrella de Belén (Star of Bethlehem), which guided them to Jesus, and brought gifts such as oro (gold), mirra (myrrh), and incienso (incense).
What is a Rosca de Reyes Bread?
The Rosca de Reyes is an interesting bread. It has fruits on it and inside there are muñecos de niño Dios (little baby Jesuses).
Tradiitonally, Mexicans take turns cutting a piece of the rosca, and if you find the little bebé Dios o niño Dios, you will be like a padrino (godfather) of the baby. If you find a baby Jesus in the rosca, This means that on the 2nd of February, you will have to host a party with tamales. This date represents when Jesus was introduced or brought to the church.
There used to be just one baby Jesus in the rosca, but since throwing a party can sometimes be expensive, they have started to include multiples baby Jesuses in each rosca. This way, the expenses for the party are shared among all the padrinos.
The rosca comes in all kinds of sizes, and there are four elements about it that represent important aspects about this holiday.
The first one is the fruit on the rosca, which represents the jewels on the crown of the king who was trying to kill baby Jesus.
The second is the hidden baby Jesuses inside the bread, symbolizing Joseph and Mary protecting and hiding the baby Jesus from the King.
The third is the round shape of rosca, which represents God’s love, which is infinite. It has no beginning and no end.
And fourth is the eating of the bread, which the Mexicans consider as a communion.
Have you tried rosca? What did you think? Let us know in the comments!
Want to learn more about this tradition while practicing your Spanish listening skills? Check out our podcast episode about Día de Reyes!
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