When Is Three Kings Day: Nine days of Christmas are over on Three Kings Day, which is also called Epiphany. On this holiday, people remember the time when the three wise men brought gifts to Jesus’s new parents. Many kids in Spain get their Christmas presents on this day every year.
Children in Puerto Rico put a box full of hay under their beds on New Year’s Eve because they think the kings will bring them wonderful gifts. While that waits, France is making a delicious “kings’ cake” called la galette des rois. By putting a coin, diamond, or small toy inside the cake, cake bakers make the party more fun.
History of Three Kings Day
Much less well-known in Latin America than in the US, Santa Claus is not found in Mexico or many other places. In their place, the Three Wise Men act as gift-bearers, putting items in or near the shoes of children. This old event, which is also called Epiphany, took place in the fourth century. People often have a big feast on this day to remember Jesus’ baptism and thank the Three Wise Men.
A lot of people think that strange things happened before Jesus was born. One of the most interesting things is that there was a star in Bethlehem. Not long before Jesus came, this new star showed up in the sky. Carl, Melchior, and Balthasar, the Three Wise Men, came a long way to honor Christ by giving him wonderful gifts of myrrh, frankincense, and gold.
For Catholics, Three Kings Day, which is also called El Dia de Reyes, is very important. Along with the tradition of giving and receiving gifts, the event is linked to a certain tasty treat. This sweet treat is called Rosca de Reyes, which means “King’s Cake” because it looks like the crown of a king or queen. A little plastic figure of the baby Jesus is hidden inside the sweet bread as a treat. Everyone who finds this sign is expected to throw a party in honor of Dia de la Candelaria, which is also known as Candlemas Day and is celebrated every year on February 2.
Three King’s Day Traditions
Rome went to Egypt around the year 200 AD.
There is evidence that Three Kings Day comes from the Greek-speaking eastern part of the Roman Empire. However, Clement of Alexandria says that Basilides’ followers also celebrated the day of Jesus’ baptism in Egypt.
Day of Theophany, December 25, 380 AD
This day, according to St. Gregory of Nazianzus, is called “the Theophany,” and it marks the holy birth of Christ.
In 385 AD, the Age of Enlightenment started.
In his story, the traveler Egeria talks about a holiday called “Epiphany” that is held in Jerusalem and Bethlehem to honor the birth of Jesus.
December 12, 1969
The date of Three Kings Day may change because the General Roman Calendar has been changed. It used to fall on a Sunday between January 2 and 9. Even so, it is still more often celebrated on January 6, twelve days after Christmas.
How to Celebrate Three Kings Day
People in Spain, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and other places around the world now celebrate Three Kings Day. Every year on this holiday, people remember the trip of the three kings to the place where Jesus was born. There are parades, feasts, and other celebrations. If you’re going to enjoy this year, think about these traditions:
Put out food: In many places, kids enjoy the journey of the kings and camels to Bethlehem by setting out food for them to eat. Homes make sweets for the kings and camels in exchange for gifts, like leaving cookies for Santa. The camels get hay and water instead of reindeer food.
Get your family together. For many, Three Kings Day is just as important a holiday as Christmas Day. It’s common to get together with family and friends and do things like eat a tasty meal, listen to music and open gifts.
Exchange Gifts: On Three Kings Day, kids often give gifts to each other. When it’s not Saint Nicholas Day, kids in some places, like Spain, leave their shoes by the door in the hopes that the three kings will come over at night and fill them with small gifts.
Make Sweet Bread: In Mexico and other places, it’s common to make “rosca del Rey,” a sweet bread that looks like a king’s crown. Traditionally, this brioche-style bread is topped with sugar paste and candied fruit rings. Like the King’s Cake tradition at Mardi Gras, each piece often has a small baby figure hidden inside it. Candlemas Day is February 2. The person who finds the baby in their slice has to buy tamales for the family or group.
Three King’s Day Statistics
60,000 Rosca de Reyes: The Northgate Gonzalez Market in California sells 60,000 Rosca de Reyes each year. Just before Thanksgiving, they started selling the first small roscas. People who want to buy can pick from two types—original and filled—and four sizes until Christmas. This year, people liked fillings like guava and cheese or pineapple and cajeta.
In 2019, cooks from La Universidad Vizcaya de las Americas became the first people in the world to hold the Guinness World Record for the longest Rosca de Reyes bread, measuring 2,065.43 meters. With an amazing length of 2,065.43 meters, this long traditional bread broke Switzerland’s old world record. Carlos Tapia of Guinness World Records for Latin America confirmed that the bread was the longest in the world. He said that the previous record, which was set in Switzerland, was 973.24 meters. The pie had over 7,000 toys as well as the record-breaking ring.
On the night before Three Kings Day, 200,000 people gather in Mexico to watch a mile-long Rosca de Reyes cake being made. Over 200,000 people meet in Zocalo Square every year to eat a piece of the King’s cake or take some home to enjoy later. The government of Mexico City promised that starting in 2018, some of these treats would be made without sugar so that people who can’t have sweets could still enjoy this famous tradition.
Three King’s Day Traditions
Presents:
The Three Kings are added to nativity sets on January 5, and kids leave their shoes outside all night in the hopes of seeing them. Every morning, when they wake up, they are thrilled to find gifts from the Kings in and around their shoes.
During the Three Kings Day celebrations, the King’s cake, also known as Rosca de Reyes, is the main draw. This tasty treat is shaped like an open circle or wreath, and the candied fruit and nuts on top look like the gems in the Magi’s crowns. Someone cute does this every year: they hide a baby Jesus doll in the cake. The person whose donation has the number wins the Candlemas party every month in February.
A Feast Outside: Three Kings Day is mostly a holiday for eating. Families should eat a nice dinner together on this particular day. This meal is eaten outside in a number of Latin American countries. Black beans and rice are basic foods. Some families use peas or corn instead of beans. People like soups and salads made with yucca, nopales, and plantains. They also like foods that are slow-cooked and sautéed with onions, garlic, and herbs.
Why do we celebrate 3 Kings Day?
The twelfth day of Christmas is Three Kings Day, which is also called the Epiphany. Today, every year is the day that the three wise men brought gifts to the baby Jesus. Here in Spain, many kids get their Christmas presents on this day.
Nine days of Christmas are over on Three Kings Day, which is also called Epiphany. Today is a celebration of the day that the three wise men came to see the baby Jesus and give him gifts. Many kids in Spain get their Christmas presents on this day every year.
Children in Puerto Rico put a box full of hay under their beds on January 5 in preparation for the kings to come and give them lovely gifts. In France, a tasty pastry called “kings’ cake,” or la galette des rois is baked with a treat inside. It could be a coin, a jewel, or a small toy.
Is Three Kings Day always on January 6th?
Three Kings Day is filled with rich customs, family gatherings and festive parades celebrated on Jan. 6 – or Jan. 19 for many Orthodox Christians who use the Julian calendar, according to National Geographic.
National Geographic says that Three Kings Day is a colorful party with lots of rituals that happens on January 6 (or January 19 for many Orthodox Christians who follow the Julian calendar). Fun parades and family get-togethers mark it.
In many Latin American and Caribbean countries, this holiday, which takes place on December 12, is very important. There are places where it is also called Epiphany. In the Orthodox Church, the event is known as Theophany and is a celebration of Christ’s birth.
What country is 3 Kings Day from?
While the celebrations vary from one country to another, the tradition has remained similar all across Latin America and Spain. The festivities start on January 5, also known as the Night of the Kings, and ends the following day with the gifts children receive from the Three Wise Men.
Three Kings’ Day, which is also called the Feast of the Epiphany, is a Christian holiday held on January 6 to remember when Jesus was born. Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar are said to be the Three Wise Men who come from the East to Bethlehem to see the Jewish King who has just been born.
There are three gifts that these three kings bring: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This event is talked about in the Gospel of Matthew, and many people in Spanish-speaking countries around the world do it every year.
Different countries have different customs, but the main idea of the rite is the same all over Spain and Latin America. On January 5, the Night of the Kings, celebrations start. The next day, the Three Wise Men bring gifts for the children to end the fun. For Hispanics, this is the end of the twelve-day Christmas holiday.
Who celebrates 3 Kings days?
What Countries Celebrate Three Kings Day? DÃa de Los Reyes is celebrated in Spanish-speaking countries like Mexico and Spain in addition to other countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, France, Poland, and by some Latinos in the United States, especially Puerto Rico.
Three Kings’ Day, which is also called Epiphany, is a happy holiday that honors the three wise men, also called the magi or the kings. The people who went to Bethlehem did so to honor the newborn Jesus Christ by calling him King. It will happen on January 6.
Matthew’s Gospel is where the story of the magi’s visit is found in the Bible. It’s about Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar’s 12-day trip to see Jesus. Each of them had a special gift to bring with them. This important event in history is remembered in the famous song “We Three Kings,” and the three kings are often present in parades around the world on Three Kings’ Day, from New York City to Madrid and Uruguay.
Miriam Ortiz, a catechist at the Church of the Ascension in Manhattan, told us all about Three Kings’ Day, including how it came to be and what people do on it.
How long is Three Kings Day celebrated?
In some cultures and countries, Three Kings Day is primarily also known by the name Epiphany. While Three Kings Day is celebrated for just one day, Epiphany is celebrated for days or weeks depending on the culture.
In the Eastern and Western churches, the feast of Epiphany means different things. It is mostly remembered in the Western church as the Magi’s visit to the baby Jesus. Newsweek says that the Eastern church’s celebration is mostly about celebrating Jesus’ baptism, which showed that He was both fully God and fully human.
Three Kings Day is also called Epiphany in many places and nations. Even though the idea is the same, the length of the party is different. Though Epiphany is sometimes celebrated for several days or even weeks, based on the culture, Three Kings Day is usually only observed for one day.
If you talk about Three Kings Day, you need to include Rosca de Reyes, which is also called the King’s Cake. This dish is the main event at the celebrations on this special day. The cake is shaped into a circle, and the jewels in the Magi’s crown are made of candy, fruit, and nuts that are used as decorations. As is usual, a small doll of baby Jesus is tucked into the cake. This figure means that you have to throw the Candlemas party in February if you see it.
