Keywords: Three Kings Day, Latinos, holidays

Three Kings Day has become a sacred yet distant memory. Puerto Ricans in the United States have revamped the holiday--choosing to embrace both their American and Puerto Rican cultures--by combining both Christmas and Three Kings Day.   

Although celebrated by other members of the Latino community, the holiday is especially close to the hearts of Puerto Ricans.  

Three Kings Day, or El Dia de los Reyes Magos, celebrates the Biblical story of the three kings, Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar, who followed a star that led them to Bethlehem, where they brought baby Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The journey is believed to have taken 12 days, beginning on Dec. 25 and ending with their arrival on Jan. 6. 

In Puerto Rico, the Three Kings are to children what Santa Claus is in the United States--the gift bearer. But rather than bringing Nintendo Wiis and PlayStation Portables, candy and small gifts are handed out to children with the intent of reinforcing the importance of the birth of Jesus, as opposed to the commercialized idea that is often associated with Christmas in the United States.  

Many Puerto Rican families in the United States have chosen to abbreviate Three Kings Day, combining the holiday with Christmas--setting up both a Christmas tree and a traditional nativity scene. Others may begin celebrating on Jan. 5, the eve of Three Kings Day, known as Ví­spera de Reyes in Spanish. As a part of Puerto Rican tradition, on the eve of Three Kings Day, children leave a shoebox filled with grass, sometimes accompanied by a glass of water or freshly polished shoes, under their bed or by the door to help the three kings and their camels along on their journey.   

When children wake up on the morning of Three Kings Day, the grass and water will have been replaced with candy and small gifts, believed to have been consumed by the three kings and their camels. Family and friends will then gather for a feast and to sing the rosary and folk songs. 

But visit Puerto Rico around this time of the year--especially San Juan--and you'll find yourself in the midst of 12 days of nonstop festivities: lively music, dancing, a feast of roasted pork, pasteles, pigeon peas, rice and coconut flan.  

The festivities begin after Christmas Day at midnight with a group of carolers accompanied by guitars, maracas and congas moving from house to house, entertaining. The observers show their gratitude by rewarding them with food and drinks. Many families also host dinner parties and these festivities continue every evening until the eve of Three Kings Day, when there are parades and the singing of the rosary until dawn. On Three Kings Day, the nativity of Jesus is acted out with the Three Kings being played by real-life fathers and the baby Jesus being played by the youngest baby. The day will then conclude with a huge feast.    

Although the celebrations in the United States are incomparable to those in Puerto Rico, communities with a large population of Latinos are quite festive as well. In New York City, El Museo Del Barrio's annual Three King's Day Parade is held in Harlem.   

For Puerto Ricans and individuals of Puerto Rican descent, Three Kings Day is about preserving culture.

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