History
Jan. 6 is a significant day for Latin America and Spanish-speaking countries and the people who observe Día de Los Reyes, also known as Three Kings’ Day or the Feast of the Epiphany. Celebrations are most common in Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Peru.
Three Kings’ Day is a Christian tradition remembering the wise men’s gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh to baby Jesus. It’s a day of food, festivities, and gift-giving. In fact, many families—especially in Latin America and Spain—exchange gifts on Día de Los Reyes instead of Christmas Day.
Learning about the religious and cultural sentiments of this holiday is important in order to appropriately honor Latin American and Spanish-speaking cultures.
Terminology
Learning and using accurate terms encourages cultural understanding and sensitivity. Here are a few of the most common:
Ponche: a fruity punch that’s often consumed during the holiday season in Mexico. It’s typically served warm with plenty of fresh-cut fruit.
Rosca de Reyes: is a sugary bread shaped like a wreath that is meant to symbolize the gifts given to baby Jesus. Inside the bread is a plastic baby, symbolizing baby Jesus. The party-goer who uncovers this figurine in their slice is considered to be blessed with good luck, and must make tamales or host the other partygoers on Feb. 2.
Atole: A thick, warm drink made of corn and flour.
Books
When children and youth are placed into foster care, away from parents, siblings, and extended family—they can lose their cultural identity. That is why supporting, encouraging, and honoring a child’s race, ethnicity, and culture is so important. While this may seem hard, one way to support a strong cultural identity is through literacy!
Her are three books we recommend:
- Three Kings Day | Marisa Boan
- Los Tres Reyes Magos: Colors-Colores | Patty Rodriguez
- The Story of the Three Wise Kings | Tomie dePaola
