Part of learning a language is learning about the culture. Today let’s read about the holiday on January 6th. In English, we call it Three Kings Day or Epiphany. In Spanish, it’s el Dia de los Reyes Magos.
Kings Day celebrates when the three kings, magi, or sometimes we call them the wise men came to see baby Jesus. According to the traditions, their names were Melchor, Gaspar, and Balthazar. They came and brought special gifts to the baby Jesus. They brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The kings came following the Star of Bethlehem.
In Latin America, this celebration is very popular. There are lots of parades, fireworks, and lots of great family times. On January 5th the children in Latin American countries leave out their shoes for the kings to leave gifts. Sometimes they’ll leave a note to let them know what it is that they would like or they leave food for the camels of the wise men. Another popular tradition for this day is the Rosca de Reyes. La Rosca de Reyes is a sweet bread with a baby hidden inside. The family will get together and everyone will get a little piece of this bread. Someone will get the little baby. Whoever gets the baby is in charge of holding the celebration on February 2nd for the la Candelaria.
Read this in Spanish.
Watch the video here:
