On January 6th, Hispanic cultures around the world celebrate Día de los Reyes Magos.
A Continuation of Christmas
For those celebrating it, Christmas is not over until January 6th. The Christian holiday represents the Three Kings’ visit to newly born Jesus and is sometimes called the 12th day of Christmas. In many cultures, Christmas decorations are kept up until this day.
Rosca de reyes
A crown-shaped rosca de reyes (King’s Cake) is traditionally shared with one’s family. In some countries, like Mexico and Spain the bread contains figurines of babies representing baby Jesus. If a person finds the figurine when they slice the bread, it’s usually a sign of good luck and/or that they have to treat others to tamales (Mexico) or next year’s roscón de reyes (Spain).
Presents
Presents arrive the morning of January 6th. The most common tradition is for children to leave a shoe out for the Three Kings. In some countries, grass or water are left out in addition to a shoe. The grass or water is for the Three Kings’ traveling camels. In the morning, children then find presents inside their shoe.
To those celebrating this holiday, ¡Feliz Día de los Reyes Magos!
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