There we celebrated Los Reyes, who each year brought us 3 gifts if we left some grass and water for their camels. Soon after we three returned to the island, where I would have gladly remain for the rest of my life. My families were poor and lived in the countryside of the towns of San German and Guayanilla, but my parents were lucky and smart, and both left at 16 to study in the University of Puerto Rico and then to New York, where I was born. I grew up in Puerto Rico in the 70s, the daughter of two young idealists who aspired to creating a better world of justice and equality, granddaughter of two grandfathers who composed songs and rhymes, and of a grandmother who sew clothes, and of a great grandmother who made a quilt of little scraps of fabric. Here’s the 2020 celebration from Juana Diaz (2021 was cancelled due to COVID-19):Įl Museo’s 46th Annual Three Kings Day Parade and Celebration, Friday, Janu /JhVd1wBAcz- Denise Oliver-Velez 💛 January 2, 2023 They hand out presents and candy to all the children at the festival and become part of a huge "block party." If you're arriving after this day, you can still visit the Museo de los Tres Santos Reyes, a place dedicated exclusively to the history of these figures. However, the festival's main attraction is the arrival of the Magi of Juana Díaz riding horseback and leading a parade through the town. There, you'll find local artisans, food stalls, and lively music. Every January 6th, the municipality hosts the longest-standing and most visited Three Kings Day festival on the Island, celebrated for over 130 years. Many santeros, who carve wooden images of saints, create sculptures of the kings, even though they are not technically viewed as saints.ĭiscover Puerto Rico takes you to visit the home of the Three Kings:Īlthough the biblical stories specify these Magi arrive from the Orient following a star, the Magi in Puerto Rico helm from the south of the Island, specifically from the town of Juana Díaz. Puerto Ricans celebrate Three Kings Day on Jan. 6, when families get together and children receive gifts from Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. The tradition of venerating the Magi, or Los Reyes Magos (the Three Kings), in Puerto Rico originated in medieval Europe, where the figures were included in Nativity scenes. Puerto Rican artists usually depict the wise men riding horses, rather than camels, and the Black king Melchior is almost always shown on a white horse. The music and art associated with Three Kings Day, also known as the Feast of the Epiphany or the 12th Day of Christmas, features the Magi and symbolic gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
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