In Mexico, the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ begin on Christmas Day and end on January 6, the ‘Dia de Los Tres Reyes Magos’ (Three Kings Day).

This is the day the three kings brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to bestow upon the baby Jesus, and it is now the day that Mexican children receive their gifts.

In México City, there are rows and rows of stalls with the three kings in attendance, often accompanied by camels, elephants and disco-dancing tigers, all prepared to crown the ‘child’. You pick one set of kings, plop your screaming child on the waiting chair and have their photo taken receiving their crown.
A very solemn child receives his crown…
A somewhat happier scene, at least for the three kings – the little girl seems somewhat doubtful about the honour.
On the day of the Three Kings I saw dozens of women coming out of bakeries carrying what appeared to be hat boxes. These boxes turned out to contain ‘Rosca de Reyes’, Kings Bread, a pan dulce that is shaped into a crown for the ‘new and rightful king of Jerusalem’.These breads are quite large, meant to be indulged in by a group. Inside is a baby doll representing the baby Jesus. Whoever gets the baby has to make tamales on the next big festival on February 2, Candelaria. After seeing the Kings you can indulge in a piece along with a cup of Mexican hot chocolate. Of course I have added a little more sparkle to this celebration!

Everyone needs more sparkle this time of year and you can find it at : Ailsa’s Travel Theme: Sparkle.