What Is Reyes Magos Day: A lot of people don’t see December 25 as the most important day of the Christmas season. Three Kings Day, or “Los Reyes Magos” in Spanish, comes after the Twelve Days of Christmas. This is when many families and countries feel the real joy of the holiday season.
Celebrating Three Kings Day, which is also called Epiphany, is a great way to remember Jesus’ story. Joyful gifts and deep meanings fill the day. Come with us on a trip through one of the most interesting and magical times in history. We promise that everything will make sense in the end.
What is Dia de Los Reyes Magos?
In Latin American countries where Spanish is spoken, Dia de Los Reyes Magos, or “Three Kings Day,” is a big religious and cultural holiday. On January 6, Christians celebrate the gift of gold, incense, and myrrh that the three wise men gave to Jesus. This tradition marks the end of the 12 days of Christmas.
While most people give gifts on December 25, many kids in these places wait until January 6 to open their presents because that’s when they’re supposed to be opened. Kids don’t look forward to Santa Claus; they look forward to the Magi coming to celebrate Jesus’ birth.
According to Matthew 2:1–11, the Magi brought Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This is what the holiday is all about. The Bible story doesn’t say what gender or how many Magi there were, but in Christian tradition, they are called Gaspar, Melchor, and Baltazar.
Even though Santa Claus and Christmas trees are more modern changes to Spanish Christmas traditions, the Three Kings have always been the main focus of gift-giving during the holiday. Due to this focus, Christmas has stayed a less busy and marketed time of year.
Los Reyes Magos: The Spanish Christmas Tradition
On Christmas, Santa Claus is not the most important person in Spain. Instead, los reyes magos, or the Three Wise Men, are the most important people in winter celebrations. These figures come down on the night before Three Kings Day in January to give gifts to kids in Spain.
In recent years, Spanish homes have become more interested in Santa Claus, but Los Reyes Magos is still the most important holiday. Keep reading to find out more about this beloved Spanish holiday tradition!
Who are “los reyes magos”?
According to the Christian faith, three wise men came to see Jesus soon after he was born. As gifts, Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Many countries in Europe have honored the Three Wise Men since the Middle Ages. In Spain, Los Reyes Magos were the ones who brought gifts, while in other places, Santa Claus was the one who gave gifts on Christmas Day hundreds of years ago.
Santa has become a practice for some Spanish families in recent years, and some kids now get gifts on both December 25 and January 6. However, Three Kings Day is still more important because it is the main day people in Spain exchange gifts, which is a kind act that almost everyone can respect.
How is Dia de Los Reyes celebrated?
The holiday of Dia de los Reyes comes from Christian customs, especially Catholic ones. It starts with going to church or parish events, like a procession that remembers the Three Wise Men’s job of bringing gifts to baby Jesus. That being said, the rest of the day is spent happily celebrating with family and friends.
Eldon Mirjah, a language expert and the creator of the app Gritty Spanish, stresses how important the holiday is in cultures and religions. He says, “Dia de los Reyes Magos is a big holiday that celebrates how much fun it is to share and give.” This makes sure that important traditions are passed down from one generation to the next. It also brings Latinx groups together by making people feel connected to their past and united.
The Spanish Christmas tradition of los Reyes Magos
Don’t worry if the thought of Christmas makes you sad; Spain has one more fun event planned. The happy celebration of “Los Reyes Magos,” or the Three Wise Men, on January 6 marks the end of the season. “Feast of Epiphany” is the English name for this very important holiday.
In Spain, Christmas has become more famous, but Three Kings’ Day is still the most elaborate and widely celebrated holiday. The legendary Reyes Magos, or Wise Men, is at the center of this event. Kids and families all over the country love them.
The celebrations end on January 6, with parades and other events honoring the Three Wise Men’s trip to bring gifts to Jesus. This day extends the joys of Christmas and keeps alive beloved traditions. It is also an important and vivid part of Spain’s cultural history.
What is the meaning of the Reyes Magos?
The Three Wise Men
Los Reyes Magos – known as the Three Wise Men, or Three Kings in English – are three men who followed the North Star to the town of Bethlehem to welcome baby Jesus into the world. Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar travelled from a faraway place to gift the Son of God with gold, incense and myrrh.
Los Reyes Magos, or “The Three Wise Men,” are well-known around Christmas time and play a big part in Spanish celebrations. The wise men bring gifts to the children of Spain on the night before January 6, which is Three Kings Day. Los Reyes Magos is the main figure in these celebrations, but some Spanish families also include Santa in their festivities.
For the Noche de Reyes, people in Madrid and many other towns hold a cabalgata, which is a big parade or cavalcade. Along with its roots in the Christian custom of honoring the Three Kings, this celebration has important meanings for the city. It has evolved in response to the goals of many administrations, combining secular and religious parts to make an event that is both dynamic and culturally diverse.
What is done to celebrate Reyes Magos?
Recognized widely by many cultures around the world, and observed in many Spanish-speaking countries, the Feast of the Three Kings honors the Epiphany. The day is traditionally celebrated with family, food, gift-giving, and a Rosca de Reyes (sweet bread or King’s Cake).
Starting the parties a day early is a common practice. For Spanish people all over the country, on January 5, Kings’ Day is celebrated with parades. The Three Kings March, or Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos, is put on by local governments and is popular with Spanish families.
As of January 5, figures of the Three Kings are added to the Nativity scenes. Kids think that these wise guys will come and visit them if they leave their shoes outside all night. When they wake up, you can see the gifts that were left for them through their shoes. Día de Los Reyes, which is celebrated on January 6, remembers when the three kings brought gifts to the baby Jesus. For kids in Spain, this day is almost as important as Christmas because they get to give and receive gifts.
People remember cavalcades from a hundred years ago as less fancy events with less candy. The kings, their camels, their entourage, and the gifts they brought as symbols got most of the attention.
In the evening, the kids put three small dishes with food for the camels and three small water bottles for the queens on the ledge. Candy used to be put in the shoes of kings, but today’s wish lists and gift amounts are bigger.
What happens on each day of Reyes Magos?
The Three Kings parade, or Cabalgata de Los Reyes Magos, draws crowds of Spanish families to their hometowns. They adorn Nativity decorations with the Three Kings on January 5. Children leave their shoes outside overnight in anticipation of a visit from the wise men. Their shoes will have gifts for them in the morning.
Giving and getting gifts is still a common thing to do after Christmas. As we already said, the Three Kings, not Santa Claus, are the main people who bring gifts to kids in Spain and Latin America during the holidays.
Santa Claus nativity scenes are often displayed on Día de los Reyes to honor Jesus’ birth and the famous story of Mary giving birth to Jesus in a barn because there wasn’t enough room at the inn. There may be parades as part of the Día de Los Reyes traditions in some places. People all over the world enjoy Reyes in different ways, and Mexico’s celebration is just one of many unique ways to honor this happy event.
What did the Reyes Magos give to Jesus?
Who are “los reyes magos”? According to Christian tradition, three wise men came to visit the newborn baby Jesus shortly after his birth. Their names were Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar, and they came with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
People generally serve Rosca de Reyes on Three Kings Day, which falls on the same day as Epiphany.
Louisiana-style king cake is different from Rosca de Reyes, which is a big oval-shaped loaf of thick dough topped with nuts, candied orange peel, and dried cherries. A figurine of baby Jesus is hidden inside the bread. As is the custom at the King Arthur Baking Company, whoever finds it has to throw a Candlemas party on February 2.
Most people like Rosca de Reyes and different kinds of king cakes from Christmas to February. In some countries, king cakes are served at midnight on New Year’s Eve. In others, the Epiphany is celebrated on Christmas Eve or January 6.
What do kids do on Reyes Magos?
Each January 5th, kids join their parents to cut fresh grass and set it in a shoebox under their beds, under the Christmas tree (just like the cookies for Santa Claus), or in a place that is not easy to miss.
Every year on January 5, the “Reyes Magos” bring gifts to Spanish children all night long. Kids in Spain usually leave Santa Claus and his animals, or los reyes magos, dishes with food or treats, as well as milk and cookies. Also, traditionalists make sure that the horses of the kings are fed dried grass or hay or milk and bread if the first two aren’t available.
When children in Spain wake up on January 6, they find gifts from the Three Kings already there. Los Reyes Magos, like Santa Claus, sends coal for bad deeds, so the rule that only good deeds get presents stays in place.
Families in Spain like to have big meals during the holidays, and Three Kings Day is no different. As soon as the gifts from Los Reyes Magos are opened, there is a formal lunch with several courses and the typical chat called sobremesa afterward.
Cheese and salted meats are served first at a traditional Three Kings Day feast in Spain. No matter where you are, the main course usually includes strong, filling choices based on meat or seafood. You should always save room for dessert, and this time, the big roscón is the star.
Christmas is celebrated on Three Kings Day, which is also called Día de Los Reyes Magos in Spanish-speaking Latin American and Caribbean countries. From January 6 to December 25, it’s called the Twelve Days of Christmas. This Christian-themed party remembers how the three rich men gave Jesus gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh.
As part of a special tradition, most kids open their gifts on January 6 instead of December 25. To celebrate the birth of Jesus, kids look forward to the Magi coming rather than Santa Claus. Because of this, one tradition says to save some gifts just for this event.
The holiday remembers the gifts that the Magi brought to the baby Jesus. Matthew 2:1–11 says that they brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The Bible doesn’t say how many or what gender the Magi were, but Christians have given them the Spanish names Gaspar, Melchor, and Baltazar.
The Three Kings have always been an important part of Spanish Christmas traditions, unlike more modern adds like Christmas trees and Santa Claus. This way of doing things has helped to make Christmas a less stressful and materialistic holiday.