The Three King’s Day celebration will be Sunday, Jan. 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Old Town at 5770 W. U.S. Highway 192, Kissimmee.
Representing the Three Kings at a recent press conference on Tat Medieval Times were Kissimmee Mayor José Alvarez, Kissimmee City Commissioner Jim Fisher and Osceola Clerk of Court Armando Ramirez.
For 15 years, the Hispanic Business Council of the Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber of Commerce has been hosting the Three King’s Day in Osceola.
Celebrated in many countries of the world and most of Latin America, the Three King’s Day, or “El Día de los Reyes,” is a holiday recognized by different cultures, as a way to remember the three Wise Men or Kings, as they brought their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to Baby Jesus.
At a recent press conference, the Three Kings brought an early present to Osceola. Osceola County Commissioner Peggy Choudhry matched a $5,000 Hispanic Business Council scholarship donation for a total of $10,000 through Amigos Helping Amigos (a not-for-profit community organization) and Florida Technical College.
The scholarship recipients were Marco Antonio Jiménez, Belen Infante and Carmen Luciano.
Over 8,000 people, mostly children, with their families, attended last year’s event and it’s anticipate that this year the number will be higher, due to the amount of families relocated from Puerto Rico and Central and South America. All Central Florida community is welcomed to attend.
Three King’s Day celebration will include:
Free bicycles: One of the most exciting moments for the kids at the event is the free raffle of a brand new bicycle every five minutes, according to a press release.
Pictures with the Three Kings: Every child will be able to get their picture taken with the Three Kings for free.
There also will be free hot dogs, toys, juice and a children’s play area.
There will be magicians, clowns, musical groups and other entertainment.
Three King’s Day
The Feast of the Three Kings, also known as the Epiphany takes place every year on Jan. 6.
It is an intricate part of Latin folklore. Traditionally, this day is very important, especially for children, for it is on this eve that they will receive their gifts. On the feast of the Epiphany, the Three Kings visited the newly born Christ child in Bethlehem bearing him gifts.
This tradition is repeated and reflected in present-day with the belief that on this eve the Three Kings will visit every good child to deliver them gifts. Tradition states that on the Eve of the Epiphany, children collect hay, straw or grass and place it in boxes or containers under their beds. This gesture is a gift of food for the King’s camels while they rest in between deliveries. If a child is good for the past year, he or she will receive toys. If the child misbehaved or was naughty, he or she would instead find a lump of dirt or charcoal in his box.
This tradition is much older than that of Santa’s visit on Christmas Eve.
