Photo Credit: uwishunu.com

Christmas may be over, but for families who celebrate Three Kings Day on January 6, the holiday season continues. Known as Epiphany on the church calendar, Three Kings Day is celebrated throughout Latin America, Spain and in Hispanic communities across the United States.  It occurs on the 12th day after Christmas when the Magi (Three Kings) arrived with gifts for the baby Jesus.  To honor this tradition, children receive gifts on this day brought by the three kings, Melchor, Gaspar, and Baltazar.  In the days before Three Kings Day, children write letters to the Magi asking for gifts they would like to receive.
On the night of January 5, figures of the Magi are placed in the nativity scene.  In some locations, children leave their shoes or boxes out with hay to feed the animals of the Three Kings, much like milk and cookies are left for Santa.  In the morning, gifts are found in place of the hay, but nowadays are generally placed under the Christmas tree.
Friends and family gather together to celebrate and one of the traditional foods is a Rosca de Reyes (King’s Ring), a round or oval shaped ring which usually has candied fruit on top, and a figurine of a baby baked inside.  In some places, the person who finds the figurine must pay for the Candlemas Day celebration.   It is very similar to the Kings Cake which is served during Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

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