Rosca de Reyes - Kings Bread Ring

On January 6, in Mexico we celebrate the "Dia de Reyes" or "King Wisemen day"

This celebration is based on the biblical passage in which 3 people went to offer gits to baby Jesuschrist

This grow into the legend of the 3 Magician-kings-wisemen, that were one each from Europe, Africa and Asia, the arrived riding a horse, elephant and camel, the gifts were gold, incense and myrrh, their names where Melchor, Gaspar and Baltazar, and they arrived following a bright star that appeared on heavens on december 24th and traveled the skies until it stopped on top of the place where Christ was born.

To celebrate this happening, in Mexico the custom is to eat the "Rosca de Reyes", The bread on the photo, that is a symbol of the crown of the 3 wisemen, and the fruits are like the jewels.

Inside the bread there usually are little items.

In the most common tradition those items are several little dolls that are a representation of "Baby God" and the people that find the doll on their pieces of bread are the lucky ones that got to offer the food - usually atole and tamales- for the celebration of "Dia de la Candelaria" on February 2nd.

Another tradition is that the items are: a little doll and has the same meaning, a ring meaning that the lucky person gets to marry that year, a thimble meaning that person will remain single that year.

Also to celebrate "Dia de Reyes" on january 5th by night the kids leave a shoe next to the Nacimiento before going to sleep, and by morning on the 6th, a present or toy will be found if they behaved during the previous year.

Now time to go eat a little bit of "Rosca de Reyes"

Kisses
Jessica