Epiphany celebration brings Christmas to an end

Friday, Jan. 13, 2017

OREM — Many Spanish-speaking countries celebrate the Epiphany with specific traditions besides the traditional Mass.

The Epiphany, also known as Three Kings’ Day, is celebrated on Jan. 6; it is the day the magi came to pay homage to the child Jesus.  

The biblical story tells how three men came from far away to adore the Christ child, guided only by a star and bringing  with them gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.   

“Some people see these gifts as faith, hope and charity,” said Mariana Aguirre, parishioner of St. Francis of Assisi in Orem, who  was one of the dozens of people who gathered at the Orem recreation center to celebrate the Day of the Three Wise Men, known in Spanish as the ‘Dia de los Reyes Magos”.

The celebration was possible through the effort of Centro Hispano,  a nonprofit organization in Provo with the mission of ”empowering Hispanics to have equal access to the information and resources they need in order to strengthen individuals, families and communities through education and skill building activities,” according to the organization mission statement.

Adrian Escalante, executive director of Centro Hispano, was in charge of organizing the event, which was been taking place every January for more than five years.

“People come here to remember this celebration as we do it in our countries of origin,” said Escalante, who is an Argentinian native.

At the celebration, the families received toys for their children, and ate the traditional ”Rosca de Reyes,” which is a ring-shaped sweet round cake decorated with slices of crystallized or candied fruit. Inside the cake there are figurines symbolizing the infant Jesus. 

It is said that the person who finds the baby Jesus should put together a small party to celebrate the Candlemas Day on Feb. 2.

The attendees also received warm clothes and books, and were able to enjoy a diversity of traditional Hispanic dances.

“This is the second year I came here with my kids,” said Gloria Martinez, who attended the event with her three kids.

For Martinez, this celebration is very important because “we are remembering that the child Jesus received gifts and, in the same way, he gives them to our children.”

In European countries like Spain, the Three Wise Men bring presents to the children, and they have a Procession of the Kings that takes place during a parade through the streets of Barcelona.