Winter Garden Magazine January 2015 | Page 4

celebrating: Christmas might be over, but that doesn’t mean the celebration and gift giving is over. Twelve days after Christmas, Latin America and Spain celebrate and children receive the majority of their gifts from the Three Kings rather than from Santa Claus at Christmas. Before going to bed, the children place their old shoes at the foot of their beds with a wish list on top for the Three Kings. In the morning, the shoes are filled with toys and gifts from the Magi. On the night Christ was born, the three were drawn by a "mysterious light" – a star in the western sky. They followed this sign to Bethlehem, where they arrived to honor Christ. It is said that along the way, the Magi were lodged and helped by good people, they were fed and warmed, and their camels were given water and grass. In return for the generous hospitality the Magi left gifts and sweets at the foot of their hosts’ beds as they stole away quietly back to their journey. Not much is known about the Magi, they were mentioned briefly in the Bible as seers and truth seekers and hail from "the east." Gaspar (of India), Melchior (of Persia) and Balthazar (of Arabia) were good Kings. The most well-known thing about them, of course, is that they came bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Three Kings Day, or Día de Los Reyes (also known as the Epiphany), is celebrated on January 6th to honor the Three Kings (or Wise Men) that made the twelve day pilgrimage to give gifts to the newborn Jesus Christ. The day closes the Christmas festivities and is the day people of most Latin American countries exchange gifts. The traditional celebrations vary from country to country. 4  |  WINTER GARDEN MAGAZINE  |  JANUARY 2015