Living in Florida for more than a decade, my wife Sandy and I became quite fascinated with Hispanic culture. One of the things that particularly intrigued us was the way in which our Latino friends observed certain holidays. For example, we learned that historically in many lands of Spanish heritage—Spain, Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico and other places—January 6th is about as big a holiday as December 25th. January 6th? That’s the date on the church calendar known as “Epiphany.” In Spanish-speaking countries, it is known as El Día de los Reyes (The Day of the Kings) or Día de los Tres Reyes Magos (The Day of the Three Royal Magi). This day, for people of Spanish heritage (as well as some other cultures) is the true climax of the Christmas season. It is the literal “twelfth day of Christmas” we so often sing about. It is the day (supposedly) when the wise men, with gifts in tow, finally completed their long journey to see baby Jesus, having been guided by a magnificent star in the heavens above. (See Matthew chapter 2). 
Now, of course, no one knows for sure how long it took the wise men to reach Jesus. It could be anywhere from a few days up to two years. We base that on the edict of King Herod to kill all baby boys, ages two and under, living in and around Bethlehem, the place where the Messiah was to be born. Herod based his evil order on the timing of the appearance of the star as related to him by the wise men. We also know, according to the Bible, that when the wise men reached their destination, they saw a “child” in a “house”, rather than a newborn babe in a manger or stable. So, contrary to our typical coffee table arrangements of the nativity, the wise men were not there on the night of Christ’s birth. To be historically accurate, it might be better to place those Magi figurines on another table somewhere across the room.Over the centuries, a number of legends or assumptions have arisen regarding the wise men. For example, we don’t know that there were literally three. We know only that there were three gifts. And we have no clear evidence that they were actually kings, although we can assume with some certainty that they were men of financial means. And we also can safely conclude that they were learned men with a keen interest in stargazing. The Bible makes no mention of their names, although somewhere along the way they acquired the unusual monikers Gaspar (or Caspar, as in the friendly ghost), Melchior
and Balthazar. (Definitely not among the most popular baby names for 2007.) Other than the Bible telling us that they came from the east, we don’t know anything about their land(s) of origin, although some have speculated that they came from Persia (modern-day Iran). Others see them as royalty representing the 3 known continents at the time of Christ—Europe, Africa and Asia—and even arriving by 3 distinctive modes of transportation—horse, camel and elephant! (Wow, I’ve never seen a nativity scene with an elephant!) Of course the Bible doesn’t tell us how the wise men traveled. Camelback has always been a pretty safe assumption for that time and locale. I’m fairly confident, at least, that it wasn’t by Greyhound or the Orient Express. Obviously, people like to read between the lines and fill in the gaps. And many people tend to have very interesting imaginations.Now, back to where I started—the traditional Hispanic observance of 3 Kings Day on January 6th. This is the day that children receive their gifts. The gifts are delivered by the wise men rather than Santa Claus. In preparation, the night before, children—instead of hanging up stockings—place their shoes in a prominent place
before they go to bed. In Mexico, children traditionally leave their shoes by the family nativity scene or by their beds. Often, the shoes are filled with hay for the camels. In Spain, the shoes are polished in preparation for the kings’ visit. Food is left for the kings as well as for their camels. In Puerto Rico, the children fill a box with grass or hay for the camels and place it underneath their bed.
I kind of like this idea of the 3 wise men, rather than Santa Claus, delivering presents. Of course the downside is that you have to wait 12 more days before you receive your gifts, which could be problematic if you’re a really impatient person.I also like the idea of Christmas extending over a period of 12 days. Now, of course, we in North America tend to celebrate Christmas in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Unfortunately, a lot of that has to do not so much with our religious observance of Advent, but rather our excessive commercialization of Christmas (i.e., the ever-expanding Christmas shopping season, which once began after Thanksgiving, but now in many instances starts immediately after Halloween!) But once we finally get to the actual day celebrating the birth of Christ, it just all seems to end so abruptly (except for after-Christmas sales and gift returns!)
Speaking of commercialization, I recently read that some retailers in the United States, located in
regions with a sizeable Hispanic population, have been test-marketing a Three Kings Day emphasis in their stores the past couple of years. Traveling Magi have been sighted in Houston and El Paso-area Wal-Marts. One mall in Florida I know of even replaces its Santa with the 3 Wise Men after December 25th. I suppose these merchants see all of this as a new way to increase their profits by extending the Christmas shopping season for 2 more weeks!Ironically, in Spain, as well as with many of our Latin American neighbors to the south, the 3 Kings tradition has been losing ground in recent years. This is because of our ever-shrinking world and the ever-increasing exportation of American culture to other lands. Many people of other cultures welcome this encroachment, because they want to be like us, and that includes celebrating Christmas the way we do (i.e., an increased emphasis on shopping and Santa Claus).
Anyway, I personally think this whole 3 Kings Day thing is kind of neat. And to me it would be sad to see this old tradition go by the wayside. So, although I’ve never done it before, I think I’ll do my part to keep it alive by putting some grass or hay in my shoes tonight. I know Sandy might not like the idea of a bunch of camels traipsing through our house while we sleep, but I think it’s a lot better than running the risk of reindeer hooves putting a hole through our roof.Buenos Noches!
Pastor Danny
