For many Mexicans, especially children, the most anticipated day of the festive season is not Christmas, but instead the 6th of January. This date marks El Dia de los Tres Reyes Magos de Oriente, or Three Kings Day. This festival, the name of which is often shortened in various ways across the Spanish speaking world, is the celebration of the Catholic festival of Epiphany, or the twelfth day of Christmas. While the Mexican version of the event is in many ways familiar to that in parts of Spain, there are some traditions that have evolved on this side of the Atlantic.

The celebration of Epiphany can be traced back as far as 4th century Greece, and in different Christian traditions is used to mark one or all of three different biblical events. The most common in the Western European and Latin American churches is that of the visit paid by the Three Kings, Wise Men or Magi, Melchor, Gaspar and Baltazar to the newborn baby Jesus, as described in the Book of Matthew in the Bible. The other events are the baptism of Jesus, which some scholars have interpreted to have taken place exactly on the date of his 30th birthday,  and finally the Wedding at Cana, the first miracle of Jesus in the Book of John. Historians have also suggested that the festival was a Christian adaptation of 3rd century Greco-Roman Saturnalia, which developed in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire.

In Spain, and consequently in Latin America, the arrival and subsequent gift giving by the Three Kings has been the focus of the day for centuries. While the Anglo-American importation of Santa Claus into cultures worldwide has taken hold and continues to grow in Mexico, it is the coming of the Tres Reyes and the gifts the kings will bear that still holds the most excitement for many children. 

In traditions that will seem familiar yet different to those who celebrate Christmas in the English speaking world, in some parts of Mexico on the night of the 5th of January, children lay clean, empty shoes to be filled overnight with sweets, small toys, or money, with the threat that only well behaved children will be visited. Some children also fill their shoes with hay and lay out water, for the kings’ camels to eat and drink when they make their visit. In other areas, such as the Yucatán Peninsula, shoes are not used and gifts can be placed under a Christmas tree or the household Nativity scene. Another tradition is that children write letters to the kings eight days beforehand to ask for the specific gifts they want. Many families now split the gift giving across Tres Reyes and Christmas, to delight of both children and those who sell sweets and toys.

Anyone who has visited a Mexican home during December or early January is likely to have seen the Nativity scenes that families set up during the season. These often elaborate dioramas act not only as a decorative centerpiece to the festivities, but also as a physical calendar to mark the passing of the various holy days. Just as the figure representing the baby Jesus is only added to the scene on the 24th of December at midnight as part of the Nochebuena celebrations, Tres Reyes is the day the Three Kings are placed alongside him.

In modern day Spain most cities hold large and well attended parades with fancifully accoutered ‘kings’ distributing handfuls of sweets to adults and children alike. While street celebrations and parades can be a feature of Tres Reyes in Mexico, it is more often a family event, which, like the other festivals of the season, often see family members traveling long distances to spend the special date with their loved ones. As with any Mexican celebration, food and drink play a central role in the festivities. Each family will have their own favorite dishes to share on the day, but the food most associated with the day is the Mexican Rosca, which is a version of the Spanish Roscón de Reyes, or king cake.

Different countries have very different versions of the king cake. Spain’s version is a form of Rosca, a round sweet bread often filled and adapted to resemble the Three Kings’ crowns by the addition of colorful fruits. In Mexico, the Rosca is a sweet bread sometimes filled with ham and cheese in an oval shape to represent the infinite circle of God’s love. It is adorned with a bright variety of fruit or fruit flavor gummy candies to give the resemblance of the jewels on the Three Kings’ crowns. One tradition that seems to be present in most countries is the hiding of symbolic items in the cake/bread, to be found by chance by the person who has that slice. What does differ is the number and significance of these items. Spain for example traditionally hides two items, a figure representing the king, the finder of which is crowned king for the day, and a dried bean, which confers on the finder the less pleasant duty of buying the next Roscón. Beans are also hidden in the day’s cakes or tarts in France, Belgium and Portugal. German speaking countries tend to use an almond instead. Generally the finding of the hidden item is lucky across most cultures. 

Mexico has developed a mixture of these traditions, eschewing the bean in favor of a small, plastic baby Jesus, called the muñeca, or doll. Rather than being the lucky person crowned as king or queen for the day, the finder has the rather dubious honor of becoming responsible for the upcoming Candlemas, or El Día de la Candelaria, celebration on February 2nd, and for providing tamales to everyone at the event. Unlike in other countries, where an innocent child usually cuts and distributes the cake to ensure no foul play, in Mexico each person cuts their own slice, thus taking responsibility for their own fate. The Rosca is often enjoyed with hot chocolate or atole (a corn based drink) and makes for a delicious and fun family meal. As it is notoriously difficult to make, most are purchased from bakeries that compete to have the reputation for the very best examples. 

The best way to experience Mexican culture and occasions is by spending them with local families away from tourist resorts. Na’atik offers a unique nonprofit language immersion program, where your Spanish or Maya lessons are augmented by a homestay experience in the town of Felipe Carrillo Puerto. Sharing meals and spare time with local and Indigenous people makes this a not to be missed opportunity to see the authentic Mexico. Every visit helps us to provide life changing educational opportunities to local children. Visit our immersion page or contact us on say@naatikmexico.org to find out more.