Santa wasn’t a “thing” until the 20th century, when the United States commercialized “Santa” as an icon for the Christmas buying season. The Three Kings are the traditionally prominent figures of Christmas in Mexican culture. Los Reyes Magos (the Three Wise Men) and their animals are placed out on January 5 to depict their arrival. Pieces are added to the scene over the Christmas season as they played out in history.įor instance, the baby Jesus figure is placed in the manger on Christmas Eve.
It’s used not only to depict the birth of the Christ child, but also plays the role of a Christmas calendar of sorts. The Nativity scene plays an important role in Mexican Christmas celebrations. Melchior was the King of Persia, Caspar the King of India, and Balthazar was represented as an Arabian King and occasionally a King of Ethiopia. The Three Kings were Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar. Being the 12th day of Christmas, it signals the end of the holiday season. Much of Latin America, and specifically southern Mexico, concentrates their holiday festivities on January 6th, el Dia de Los Reyes (Day of the Kings). It celebrates the journey of the Magi, or Three Wise Men, who brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh in the famous biblical Christmas story. Three Kings Day, a Catholic celebration, can be traced back to the 4th century, when it was celebrated by the Greek-speaking portion of the eastern Roman Empire. Whatever its name, its origin is ancient. Three Kings Day is a holiday with many names: Three Kings Day, The Day of the Kings, Epiphany, Twelfth Night, Little Christmas, Theophany, Timkat, and Reyes are just some names this holiday goes by.
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