The 6th of January, the day of the 3 kings, ‘los Reyes Magos’, commemorates the moment when the 3 oriental kings Melchor, Gaspar and Balstazar met Jesus.
It is an important celebration in Spain, but also in Latin America.
Every year, all the children in Spain write a letter to the kings exposing which gifts they wish and leave some candies for them in the nativity scene.
In Argentina, the children write the kings also a letter, but instead of sending it, they leave it in one of their shoes that they leave for the Kings to find. So the Kings know from the amount of shoes how many kids are in the house.
In Puerto Rico the children would also gather grass, hay or straw to place it in shoe-boxes for the Magi’s horses or camels to eat.
Traditionally, the families prepare or buy a ‘Roscón or Rosca de reyes’, which is a ring formed and orange blossom flavored cake, usually decorated with dry and candied fruits.
Also, most of the towns in Spain and in Mexico offer a parade, where the kings throw candies to the children in the street and create a magical moment.