In Mexico and some other Latin American countries there is a strong tradition that celebrates the day that when the Three Wise Men took gifts to the Baby Jesus  a few days after he was born. The Catholic Church celebrates January 6th as the day of the Epiphany when the Three Wise Men after travelling for twelve days- from December 25 to January 6- followed a star, met Christ as a new born and gave him three gifts: incense, gold and myrrh. These gifts where the symbols of Royalty, and by giving Jesus theses gifts they where recognizing him in fact as the King of the Jews. 

The Three Wise men are shrouded in mystery. The Gospel of Mathew is the only part of The New Testament that mentions them, while the other three evangelists remain silent on the matter. We don`t really know if there where Three Wise Men or more. It has been assumed that because there were three gifts there were only three men. The Three Wise men are also perceived differently by the English speaking countries and the Spanish speaking ones. For people of English heritage the Three Wise Men are only Wise men but for the Spanish speaking countries the Three Wise Men where actually considered and are named “The Three Magical Kings” (there is a Christmas carol written in 1857 by Rev. John Henry Hopkins that is called “We Three Kings”, so my guess is that at some point the Three Wise Men may have been considered Kings by English speaking countries as well). The perception of English speaking countries is closer to the truth than the one their Spanish speaking counterparts have: The Three Wise Men where not Kings. They where priests from ancient Persia who followed the teachings of Zoroaster and who also studied the night skies.  The Spanish speaking tradition claims that each one of the Three Magical Kings came from a different continent and they rode different animals to visit the Baby Jesus. One of them was European King so he rode a horse, another one was a Middle Eastern King so he rode a camel and last but not least there was a King that came from Africa who rode an elephant. Traditionally what this meant was that each of the known continents was represented shortly Christ`s birth and thus gave his personal allegiance and the allegiance of his continent to Christ (The Americas where not represented; they wouldn`t be “discovered” for 1492 more years). We don`t know what their names where though since the 7th century they where traditionally called Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar, in Western Europe. Other Christian countries knew them by different names- Assyrians for example knew them as Larvandad, Hormisdas, and Gushnasaph.  But for Latin American children they are affectionately known as Melchor, Gaspar y Baltazar, the Three Magical Kings.

In Spanish speaking countries the Three Wise Men deliver gifts to children on January 6th as they once did to the Baby Jesus. The custom is similar to the Santa Claus tradition. A child must have been “good” for the whole year which has passed to receive gifts; if he or she has been naughty they will only get a piece of charcoal. The day is a special one in Mexico:  it is a national holiday and children are not required to go to school. A supper is organized on January 5th among family members to celebrate the coming of the Three Wise Men that night. The supper consists of hot chocolate and the Rosca de Reyes bread. Before or after the supper the children must put their shoe close to or on a part of the nativity scene knowing that the Three Wise Men will do magic and they will stuff the shoe with gifts that night. Thanks to globalization and the fact that toys keep getting bigger the gifts are being left outside the shoe and can be left next to the Nativity Scene or under the Christmas tree, an innovation the Three Wise men have borrowed from Santa Claus.

The main entrée for the supper to commemorate The Three Wise Men is the Rosca de Reyes bread which is shaped in a circle or an oval and is decorated with dried and caramelized fruits which are either green or red. Inside the bread contains one or more Baby Jesus figurines made from plastic. The rosca is shaped and decorated to look like a crown while the dried and caramelized fruit that is used on top is meant to resemble the emeralds and rubies that any self respecting crown should have. In Mexico the person who finds the baby Jesus is responsible for organizing a get together on February 2nd -the day of the Presentation of Christ at the Temple- in which tamales and atole or champurrado are served.

The reader may ask where does the Rosca de Reyes bread tradition come from? According to some of the sources I read the Ancient Romans used to bake bread with dried figs and honey and distribute it among the population during the feats of the Saturnalia, a direct antecedent of our Christmas. France and Spain both have a tradition of serving a special bread or cake on the Epiphany. The French bake a cake and put a bean inside of it. The person who finds it is crowned king for the day. According to some historians the French tradition was later on passed on to Spain. The first Bourbon king of Spain and the Indies, Phillip V a Frenchman and a grandson of Louis XIV brought the tradition to Spain and from there it spread throughout the Spanish speaking world.

I hope you have a wonderful Epiphany. I wish that they may bring you an excellent year in 2009.

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