El Dia de Reyes

Three Kings Day, Epiphany, Day of Holy Kings (Día de los Santos Reyes), Reyes Magos, are some of the names for the January 6 celebration and the culmination of the 12 days of Christmas, originally a Spanish custom, also celebrated in southern France and historically the major Christmas celebration in Mexico.  

Though USA style Christmas is infiltrated Mexico to a high degree, particularly among the more affluent Mexicans, this is the day when kids have traditionally opened their gifts and there are parades and special foods, like the rosca.  This is a sweet bread with dried fruit decorations. 

 

Inside the rosca is baked a tiny plastic baby Jesus, sometimes several.  

So, people get together to eat the rosca served with atole (a warm rice drink) or hot chocolate and the person who gets the baby Jesus figure is then obliged to throw a party on February 2 and serve tamales.  In Mexico City they do a major production of rosca for the masses in the Zocalo in the Centro.  

A rosca 720 meters long is made, enough to serve 200,000 people.  Unfortunately, I was out of town that day but was invited out to a rosca party with Alfonso and Sylvia a few days later with friends of theirs.  It was Sam's Club rosca, tasty enough and a very nice gathering in a beautiful, upscale  home.  My brain hurt afterwards trying to follow the Spanish conversation.