El Día de los Reyes

Bueno familia...in a few short hours I will be jumping on a JetBlue flight from JFK to St. Cloud Florida to celebrate El Día de los Reyes the way it should be...with pernil, coquito, parrandas and most of my family.

I am looking so forward to this, even though I will miss the Museo De Barrio event that has kept this celebration in my heart since I left Bayamon...I will enjoy the opportunity to do it the way they do in Florida, from what I heard it is the closest you can get to a true boricua parranda.

I went to Wikipedia to get this information for those who are not familiar with Los Reyes and how it is celebrated in different countries...Buen Provecho....

and the painting depicting Gaspar, Melchor and Baltazar was painted by one of my favorite figurative artists Don Obed Gómez and you can see as well as purchase his artwork at his website obedart.

Although I will not do regular posts...I just may share some thoughts via blackberry as I enjoy mi Parranda....If you want to write me...do so at SofritoMediaGroup@gmail.com.

Feliz Día de los Reyes!

As I am,
George Torres
The Urban Jibaro


The History of Three Kings Day

In Spain, Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico and some other Latin American countries Epiphany day is called El Día de los Reyes (The Day of the Kings). The day when a group of Kings or Magi of the Bible arrived to worship and bring three gifts to the baby Jesus after following a star in the heavens. This day is sometimes known as the Día de los Tres Reyes Magos (The day of the Three Magi) or La Pascua de los Negros (Holy Day of the Blackmen) in Chile, although the latter is rarely heard. In Spanish tradition, on the day of January 6th, three of the Kings: Melchor, Gaspar, and Balthazar, representing Europe, Arabia, and Africa, arrived on horse, camel and elephant, bringing respectively gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus.

In Spain, Argentina, and Uruguay, children (and many adults) polish and leave their shoes ready for the Kings' presents before they go to bed on 5 January. Sweet wine, nibbles, fruit and milk is left for the Kings and their camels. In Mexico, it is traditional for children to leave their shoes out on the evening of January 6, sometimes filling them with hay for the camels, so that the Kings will be generous with their gifts. In Puerto Rico, it is also a tradition for children to fill a box with grass or hay and put it underneath their bed, for the same reasons. This is analogous to children leaving mince pies or cookies and milk out for Father Christmas in Western Europe. In some parts of northern Mexico the shoes are left under the Christmas tree with a letter to the Three Kings. In the afternoon or evening of the same day the ritual of the Rosca de Reyes is shared with family and friends. The Rosca is a type of sweet-bread made with orange blossom, water, and butter; decorated with candied fruit. Baked inside is a small doll representing the baby Jesus. The person who finds the doll in his piece of rosca must throw a party on February 2nd, Candelaria Day, offering tamales and atole (a hot sweet drink thickened with corn flour) to the guests. Notably, in Spain, it is also known as Roscon; made with the same items, however, between the layers of bread, lies different flavoured whipped cream. The 'Jesus' doll evolved into a small toy similar to a Kinder Surprise. The person who gets the toy is then responsible for the purchase of the Roscon the following year.