Día de los Reyes

[Jane]

Feliz día de los reyes a todos que estan en España. Espero que los reyes os traen muchos regalos!
Me gustaría saber si se celebran esta fiesta en otros paises de hablaespañol.

[CrOtALiTo]

Yes happy king day, I'm going to buy the toys to my children.

[poli]

Here in New York at the Leon Bakery they sell rosca de reyes which is a large round sugary pastry that you have to order in advance. The Leon is a Mexican Bakery.

In a neighborhood called El Barrio there is a parade. People dress up like the three kings and ride camels (it might be horses now because this climate isn't agreeable to camels). This is a Puerto Rican tradition, that seems kind of sad to me because this time of year it's awfully cold and grey here and not especially suitable for parades. Traditionally Puerto Ricans celebrate on the Three Kings day the way most others celebrate on Christmas day. I worked with a Puerto Rican woman who told me the biggest advantage of Tres Reyes is that you could buy gifts (aguinaldos) after December 25 when the stores have sales.

[Jane]

Originally Posted by CrOtALiTo

Yes happy king day, I'm going to buy the toys to my children.

Entonces, ¿se lo celebra también en Mexico?

[Jessica]

wow. Even if we do celebrate it, my parents wouldn't buy any gifts. No time.

[Jane]

Originally Posted by poli

Here in New York at the Leon Bakery they sell rosca de reyes which is a large round sugary pastry that you have to order in advance. The Leon is a Mexican Bakery.

In a neighborhood called El Barrio there is a parade. People dress up like the three kings and ride camels (it might be horses now because this climate isn't agreeable to camels). This is a Puerto Rican tradition, that seems kind of sad to me because this time of year it's awfully cold and grey here and not especially suitable for parades. Traditionally Puerto Ricans celebrate on the Three Kings day the way most others celebrate on Christmas day. I worked with a Puerto Rican woman who told me the biggest advantage of Tres Reyes is that you could buy gifts (aguinaldos) after December 25 when the stores have sales.

Here in Spain, it´s quite an event, and fortunately for us, Madrid´s weather isn´t as bad as in other places. The parades and the fireworks are awesome, infact better than Christmas and New Year eve joined together, in my opinion.

Originally Posted by jchen

wow. Even if we do celebrate it, my parents wouldn't buy any gifts. No time.

The fun of it is that somehow there must be a gift. They´re called "Los tres Reyes Magos" . And the kids have to write to them earlier, telling them what they want...
Unless you weren´t a good kid in the course of the year.

[CrOtALiTo]

Yes we celebrate that, always I believe that worldwide celebrate that, I believe....

[Rusty]

This is principally a Hispanic celebration. It's not widely celebrated in the U.S.

[Jane]

As far as I know, it´s also not celebrated in the UK.

[Tomisimo]

One interesting tradition in Mexico, is that they eat the "Rosca de Reyes" on Jan 6th. The rosca has a small plastic figure in it, and the person that gets it in their slice of rosca is supposed to provide the tamales for a celebration that's on Feb. 2 I think. (some saint).

[poli]

Originally Posted by Tomisimo

One interesting tradition in Mexico, is that they eat the "Rosca de Reyes" on Jan 6th. The rosca has a small plastic figure in it, and the person that gets it in their slice of rosca is supposed to provide the tamales for a celebration that's on Feb. 2 I think. (some saint).

So Rosca de Reyes has a figurine in it like King Cake in New Orleans.

[María José]

Jane, yo diría Día de Reyes, sin artículo. Espero que te hayan traído muchas cosas. Yo he tenido muchos regalos y eso que no he sido muy buena...
Aquí también comemos roscón de reyes, David, que por cierto vale un ojo de la cara. Y también tiene una sorpresa dentro.
Me voy a hacer que corrijo...

[CrOtALiTo]

Yesterday was the King day, I haven't any gift, but I had that buy alots presents for my children, but here my country on, it's normal the king day more than Santa at 24 th, then I don't know if on other countries the king day is more special or not, but anyhow you enjoy the king day.

[NiaR]

Sound´s good!!!
we don´t have a celebration like this one....

[sosia]

Yesterday I found the gift in our "roscón". It was a little Wall-e figurine.
It's funny to find one and be crowned (The cake comes with a little paper-crown).
It was not easy, we were 11 at the table.
saludos

[poli]

Por lo menos donde vives no estás obligado preparar tamales como los ganadores de la furgurina en Mexico. Felicidades.

[CrOtALiTo]

A quien le toco muñequito porque quiero comer tamal.

[lee ying]

thid is a specisal day for children. and it`s a tradiction that is very important not lose it because make us to be together, all eats rosca de reyes. it`s very exited because if you get a muñeco into the bread you have to pay los tamales. I`ve had lucky because I didn`t get el muñeco.

[ariellelouise]

nope, not celebrated at all in the UK. Shame, it seems a really interesting festival.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Originally Posted by Tomisimo

One interesting tradition in Mexico, is that they eat the "Rosca de Reyes" on Jan 6th. The rosca has a small plastic figure in it, and the person that gets it in their slice of rosca is supposed to provide the tamales for a celebration that's on Feb. 2 I think. (some saint).

It's not a saint, but La Virgen de la Candelaria ("candelaria" is the name of the celebration).
According to the Church, what is celebrated is the purification of the Virgin after giving birth and the feast of the presentation of Jesus in the temple.
People take some seeds and candles (that's where "Candelaria" comes from --I think "Candlemas" is the name in English) to be blessed by the priests in the churches. Candles are supposed to symbolize Jesus as the light of the world and people light those candles when they go through a difficult situation during the year.

I'm no helpful about the relationship between the religious celebration and the tamales though.