BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The gift-bearing Wise Men of biblical tradition made their annual journey to Bethlehem on Sunday, part of Arts Quest’s annual celebration of Dia de los Reyes, or Three Kings Day.
Each Jan. 6, Dia de los Reyes celebrates the biblical Three Magi and their arrival to give gifts to the newborn Jesus.
It also marks the end of the Christmas season in the mostly Latin American communities that observe it.
ArtsQuest marked the occasion for the 13th year Sunday with a kid-centric celebration at its South Bethlehem building on the SteelStacks campus.
Just as the Wise Men are said to leave presents for children... those younger than 12 who attended Sunday’s celebration went home with small gifts of their own.ArtsQuest's Three Kings Day celebration
The centerpiece of the festivities was an appearance by the costumed Wise Men, accompanied by a camel named Einstein, famous for his walk along Route 309 in a 2018 snowstorm.
Along with a reading of the story of the Magi’s journey to a faraway, presumably warmer Bethlehem millennia ago, attendees Sunday were met by an arts and crafts station, live music from Latin band Herencia Jibara and Puerto Rican food sold by Holy Infancy Catholic Church.
Just as the Wise Men are said to leave presents for children who leave out food and water for the travelers’ camels, those younger than 12 who attended Sunday’s celebration went home with small gifts of their own.
Event also celebrates culture
From its beginning, ArtsQuest’s annual Three Kings Day festivities have celebrated not only the holiday, but also the Latin American cultures of which the celebration is a part.
“We decided we needed to bring back our traditions so that our children learn where they came from — the traditions we have in Puerto Rico."Myrna Rivera, a member of ArtsQuest’s Latin Programming Committee and a driving force behind Three Kings Day
“As we're living here in the Lehigh Valley, we realized that our children are forgetting our traditions from back on the island,” said Myrna Rivera, a member of ArtsQuest’s Latin Programming Committee and a driving force behind the nonprofit’s celebration of Three Kings Day.
“We decided we needed to bring back our traditions so that our children learn where they came from — the traditions we have in Puerto Rico.
"The music, the food — all the things that make us who we are."
In a sign of the event’s multigenerational essence, Rivera now gets help running the festival from her daughter, Monica Werkheiser, and Werkheiser’s children.
For many of Sunday’s attendees, including Coatesville, Chester County, resident Nathalie Ferrer, the celebration offered a chance to similarly pass down their heritage from one generation to the next.
“It's a part of my culture to celebrate Three Kings Day," she said. "It's something that I've done for a long time. It's something that I'm trying to instill in my own kids.
“This kind of helps kind of bring it to life in a way that we wouldn't typically see.”
'Events really bring people together'
For others, such as Puerto Rico-born Bethlehem resident Yarian Fernandez, it represents a chance to feel close to their culture and they share it with.
“It's a good feeling to have, especially since my family lives over there on the island," Fernandez said.
"So just having these little events… it just kind of reminds me of where you're from and just being a part of the community."
“Some people that come out here that have never, maybe, been around this music before, or have never maybe had the food."Mirynet Colon of Bethlehem
The celebration also offers a way to share the culture with people who have never experienced it before, said Mirynet Colon, also of Bethlehem
“Some people that come out here that have never, maybe, been around this music before, or have never maybe had the food,” Colon said.
“These events, I think, really bring people together.”
