Three Kings Day in Mexico
Christmas and New Years are over but the holiday spirit continues in Los Cabos and all of Mexico where the important 3 Kings Day or El Día de Los Tres Magos happens on January 6.
In accordance to the story, the 3 Wise Men (referred to as in that time "magicians", although they were basically astronomers) saw from the Far East the birth of a star over the city of Bethlehem, and they found the meaning powering the star: a savior had been born. They traveled to Bethlehem, and along the way they found the King Herod, whom they informed of the birth of the new King. Herod ordered them to uncover the baby and return to give the information of the place where the little Messiah had been born.
The 3 wise men found the baby in a manger, adored by shepherds, and they offered him 3 presents: gold, which represented the religious prosperity of the little one; frankincense, which signifies the earth and the sky; and Myrrh, the oil which was employed for medicinal and spiritual purposes. Upon their return, an angel warned them that they could not tell King Herod regarding the birth of Jesus due to the fact his strategy was to kill the infant. So the 3 wise men came back by way of a different path to their homeland.
Nowadays, on January 5th, children put together a box as if for the baby Christ to lie in. Quite a few of them line it with hay. The young children then stick the boxes below their beds. On January 6th, in the early morning they wake up to discover 3 presents in the box for them, or often at the foot of the bed symbolic of the three gifts that were given to the baby Christ by the Magi.
During the era of the kings of France, bread was stuffed with a lima bean, and the man or woman who found it in his bread would receive the gift that His Highness had ready for the event. The idea was to place a lima bean in the bread dough, which was commonly filled with many fruits like dates and raisins, and this bread was shared nearly the time of the New Year festivities.
The custom changed a bit when it arrived to the Americas, transforming alone in accordance to the customs and resources of Mexico, where it at some point grew to become the rosca. Here the rosca is decorated with pieces of orange and lime, and is filled with nuts, figs, and cherries. Hot dark chocolate accompanies the rosca.
So each and every year, on January 6, families all throughout Mexico gather around their dining tables to share the rosca de reyes.. And now, as a substitute of finding a lima bean in the bread, a tiny plastic doll representing Christ is placed in the bread. The man or woman who gets a piece of bread with this doll within should make the tamales used in the fiesta de la Candelaria on February 2. This party is the final of the Christmas festivities, 40 days after Jesus’ birth.
During this time of year in Los Cabos, you will see the rosca de Reyes in all the bakeries of the town. On January 6 take some time from your sunbathing and shopping and enjoy a slice of rosca and a cup of hot dark chocolate. Who knows you might be hosting the tamale celebration on Feb 2nd?