{"id":5084097,"date":"2020-01-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-05T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ctlatinonews.com\/dia-de-los-reyes-closes-the-holiday-season\/"},"modified":"2020-01-05T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-01-05T05:00:00","slug":"dia-de-los-reyes-closes-the-holiday-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/2020\/01\/05\/dia-de-los-reyes-closes-the-holiday-season\/","title":{"rendered":"D\u00eda de los Reyes closes the holiday season"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

UPDATE<\/strong>: The Connecticut Institute for Community Development (CICD)<\/a> Puerto Rican Parade Committee is hosting La Tradicional Parada de los Tres Reyes Magos today. The event is sponsored by the Spanish American Merchants Association (SAMA)<\/a> and Catholic Charities.<\/p>\n\n\n

The parade begins at 10AM from 95 Park Street in Hartford. Toys will be handed out along the parade route.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\n\n

Many Latinos in Connecticut are excitedly waiting for D\u00eda de los Reyes, Three Kings Day, the closing event of the holiday season.<\/p>\n\n\n

The January 6 commemoration of the three wise men who traveled to visit baby Jesus is very popular in Hispanic cultures; annual traditions include children leaving shoeboxes of hay or grass underneath their beds, parrandas, and rosca.<\/p>\n\n\n

The Story<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

According to the Gospel of Matthew, the three Kings, named Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar follow a star across the desert for twelve days to find baby Jesus in Bethlehem. <\/p>\n\n\n

The kings offered gold as a symbol of kingship on earth, frankincense as a symbol of deity, and myrrh as a symbol of death. The gifts meant to be symbolic, representing a distinct part of the baby Jesus’s destiny:<\/p>\n\n\n

  • Gold<\/strong>: the belief that Jesus was the King of Jews <\/li>
  • Frankincense<\/strong>: divine nature of Jesus and the fact that people would come to worship him as the Son of God <\/li>
  • Myrrh<\/strong>: the fact that Jesus would eventually suffer and die<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n

    Traditions<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Gift-giving<\/strong> is a special part of D\u00eda de los Reyes. Before going to sleep, children place their old shoes and\/or shoe boxes with grass for the kings\u2019 camels to enjoy after their long journey, and then wake up to toys and other gifts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    No holiday is complete without a family meal, Three Kings\u2019 Day is no exception. <\/p>\n\n\n

    A popular Mexican tradition is Rosca de Reyes<\/strong>, a round-shaped sweet bread decorated to resemble a crown with the candied dried fruit for the jewels. A small baby Jesus figurine porcelain is baked within the folds of bread. Whoever finds the toy must then host a party for everyone on D\u00eda de la Candelaria, the Day of the Candles on February 2. <\/p>\n\n\n

    Music is also part of the celebration. In Puerto Rico, las parrandas <\/strong>begin right after Christmas, with people going door to door at night, singing religious folk songs, and offering small gifts to their neighbors. The custom is similar to caroling in the U.S. <\/p>\n\n\n

    \n