Dia de Los Reyes

For many - especially those stateside - the holiday season came to an end on January 2nd. Back to work, back to school for some, the holidays are over.

But not here in Puerto Rico. The biggest holiday of the season is happening now. Today is "Dia de Los Reyes" or Three Kings Day. Known elsewhere as Epiphany or Twelfth Night, this holiday is 12 days after Christmas, January 6th. In Catholic Church doctrine it celebrates the coming of the three wise men - the three kings - to Bethlehem with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

In Puerto Rico Dia de Reyes is bigger than Christmas Day. Many families exchange small gifts on Christmas Day but save the "big" ones for Three Kings Day.

On January 5th, the eve of Three Kings Day, children and families cut grass or hay. They then tie the grass in small bundles placing them in shoebox-size boxes, often decorated just for this day. The boxes, with the grass to feed the kings' camels (or horses, since there are no camels in Puerto Rico) and sometimes cookies and treats for the kings themselves, are place under the children's beds. The children may also take boxes to the homes of relatives for them to place under their beds. In the night, while the children sleep, the "kings" take the grass and treats and leave presents in their place for the children to find in the morning. The tradition says that the children must have been good all year and asleep when the kings arrive or they will receive no gifts at all or a lump of dirt or charcoal instead.

The rest of the day is often devoted to family, visiting friends and - as with all Puerto Rican celebrations - LOTS of great food! This includes traditional holiday foods such as lechon asado (roast pork), arroz con dulce (rice pudding), and temblique (coconut pudding). Relatives come to visit, bringing with them the shoeboxes now empty of grass and treats and filled with small gifts.

Much of the local art, whether painting, sculpture or ceramics, depicts the Three Kings. It is a rare Puerto Rican household that doesn't have some depiction of the Kings.

Some businesses and many government offices are closed, not just the week between Christmas and New Year's, but the week through Dia de Reyes as well. And if Dia de Reyes falls on a weekend, as it did last year and this year, the offices are also closed the following Monday.

Wishing you all a Feliz Dia de Los Reyes!