El Dia De Reyes Part II

Last night we celebrated "Three Kings Day" with our friends from church (also the lady that takes care of Sarah on Tuesdays and Fridays when I teach). Although we spent most of our married lives in California where there is a STRONG Mexican influence, we had never participated in a Dia De Reyes celebration with a Mexican family. On January 5 (or a few days prior), Mexican children write a letter to the Wise Men or to their favorite Wise Man: Melchor, Gaspar, or Baltazar asking for the gift they would like to receive. The letter is then attached to a helium balloon and released into the heavens or the three stars in the sky that represent the Magi. We were planning a balloon release over by the lake, but Sarah let go of her balloon just a few steps away from the apartment as she stepped into the parking lot. She was very sad. So in order to help her not have a complete meltdown, we decided that all the children would release their balloons in the parking lot. Not very scenic, but they were excited to see their balloons floating away. After the balloon release, children and families return to their homes to eat Rosca de Reyes and drink hot chocolate.

Rosca is a Mexican sweet bread in the shape of a crown. Into the bread is baked a small plastic doll (baby Jesus) and four other trinkets. The bread symbolizes a secure place away from Herod's army where baby Jesus could be born. Each family member cuts a piece of the bread with a knife. The knife represents the danger that Baby Jesus was in. The person that gets the Baby Jesus or other trinket inside their bread is in charge of making tamales and hosting Candle Mass day . . . which is 40 days after the Virgin Mary had given birth to Baby Jesus on February 2nd. Tino got one of the baby bottles. And Cristian got the baby Jesus. Mateo cut about 5 pieces of bread and smashed them to smithereens in hopes of finding a prize. Which he did not.

The Rosca was a lot better than I remember it in previous years. I remember very very dry bread with not a lot of taste. But, I have never eaten fresh Rosca de Reyes. Tino had three different Mexican daycare providers in California. I was always offered Rosca de Reyes on several occasions . . . but it was always the leftovers . . . and usually several days old. What a difference fresh bread makes. AND the hot chocolate was TO DIE FOR. Yasmin is a big fan of FOOD Network. So she steered away from the traditional Mexican hot chocolate and used a hot chocolate recipe that she had seen on one of her favorite FOOD Network programs.

We got home around 10:30 p.m., the kids got the food, water, and "hay" ready and left it by our lanai door. We really, really liked the Mexican tradition. We might add that into our celebration for years to come. Could it be because it involved food for us and not just for the wise men and camels????? Tino is super excited for the party we will be hosting on February 2. And since I never did learn to make tamales when I had the perfect opportunity living in California, we will just have to cheat and go to a Mexican Market to buy them.

P.S. Just to mix things up a bit, Mateo decided to have an accident on the way to our friends' house. Her son is about two sizes smaller than Mateo. Hence, that is why he is wearing the most fashionable attire in the pictures.