Today is the BIG day for Mexican children,it is call Día de Reyes (Kings Day) and it reffer to the day that the 3 kings arrive following the the sign of the star to see the new born King Jesus. It is a Mexican Tradition to take the kids Downtown and have their picture taken with the 3 Kings, and is the day when most of them receive their presents, toys, clothes, candy, etc. Most of the kids do not get the present the 24 as Santa Clause is a foreign tradition very popular in the North states of Mexico and on the border but for the rest of the Country the celebration is today. The kids open the presents in the morning and the families gather together in the evening to share "La rosca de Reyes" a kind of bread in a donnut shape with friut and inside it has 2 to 5 little white boys that symbolise the newborn King. If you get the boy when eating la Rosca, then you need to do a party the 8th of February called Día de la Candelaria and make tamales.
I will try to send some to Steve so he can post them. I forgot to mention that the children leave 1 shoe at the christmas tree yesterday. Today the shoes are filled with candy and chocolate and some bread and milk for the 3 kings to help them on their journey.
Wow that is so neat .. And thanks Ana for telling me !! I love hearing about different cultures and what they do on a Holiday ... Lisa
I'm glad you posted that Ana.....the Mexican tradition is actually much more biblically correct than the overly commercialized x-mas we have here in the USA. It's truly sad that in some cultures the kids have NO clue what x-mas is really about. I am glad that in some countries/cultures, the children ARE taught the proper history. Michelle
Michele, Get with the times... Parents have found a better meaning for Xmas. It's a child disciplinary tactic. You can hear parents in the malls and restaurants at the beginning of Oct, telling kids that if they do do this, or don't do that, that Santa is watching. My favourite has to be "We have to wait to see what Santa's getting you" to avoid forking out the $50 for that new video game. No matter what Xmas use to mean, it has now become one of the most effective and longest lasting tactics in the parent discplinary arsenal, lasting up to 90 days every year.
LOL!!!! Oh how I dread going shopping from October to the new year! Nothing but spoiled brats screamin, rantin, an raving about what they want momma to buy them.... Makes me sick!LOL! Michelle
I hear yah Michelle .. IT does make me sick .. And I have two of them at home with me and they are teenagers.. :lol:
Ana, thank you for the explanation of 3 Kings Day. We've been in Cancun a few times on that date, and the first time we were eating that delicious bread at our hotel restaurant, and my husband almost swallowed the little plastic baby! We showed our waiter, and he told us about the custom. Very interesting!!!
The party is over, my Compadre (God father of one of my daughter got two white babies) I also want to say that I hate that game of "Santa is looking" so since my kids were little I made a weekly chart with their duties "homework, teeths, clean room, orgnize closets, reportcards, etc" and got a number of stamps so at October they know what they can expect for X-Mas. They also do all the ceremony the 24 of put in bed to the little new born king Jesus, pray and remember the meaning of X-Mas.
