SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio tradition since 1995 is returning for the first time to the public, since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Puerto Rican Heritage Society is proud to announce it will host its Three Kings Day Celebration on Sunday, January 7, 2024 from noon to 4 p.m. at San Fernando Hall, located at 231 W. Commerce. The last time this event was held publicly in our community was in 2020. The event, which is sponsored by grocery retailer H-E-B, will be free and open to the public. Families who attend the celebration will get a photo opportunity with the Three Kings — Melchior, Caspar and Balthasar. There will also be arts and crafts for children, music and food for sale by the local Puerto Rican restaurant, El Coqui Restaurant.

Three Kings Day, also called the Epiphany, is a very important holiday in Puerto Rico. It honors the story of the Three Wise Men (also known as the Magi) from the Bible, who followed the Star of Bethlehem to find the birth place of baby Jesus, and presented gifts to baby Jesus. In Puerto Rico, it is tradition for children to gather grass in shoeboxes for the Magi’s horses or camels and leave under their bed prior to Three Kings Day. The next morning, children wake up to find they’ve been rewarded with presents, similar to the tradition of leaving cookies out for Santa and finding presents on Christmas morning.

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