4273
Meta Carstarphen
1/25/15
By:
Regennia D. Johnson
One
festival that is really important in Puerto Rico, and we were able to
participate in is the Three King’s Parade!
For the past 131 years thousands of
people gather in the streets of Juana Diaz in celebration of Los Reyes Magos on
Jan 6. “This is a very old tradition, and every year it’s more love. People
love to come because its tradition. They promote it so well, people come from
everywhere,” says Nilda Banchs a pharmacy owner.
Natives and people from across the island
arise early to beat traffic to the little municipality of Puerto Rico. Juana
Diaz has a population of almost 51,000, which is still just a small fraction of
Puerto Rico’s popular city of San Juan. Though Juana Diaz isn’t the most
popular town on this cultured island, according to Juana Diaz, Mayor Ramon
Hernandez Torres, this day alone brings in more than half of the towns everyday
population. “This is a wonderful opportunity not only for the Puerto Rican
people but also for the people that are coming here to visit us in Juana Diaz,”
says Torres.
According to the Three Kings Museum this
holiday originated on the island in 1884, was brought about by a Spanish
Catholic priest who wanted extend honor to the Three Wise Men also known as the
Three Kings.
The parade begins at ten o’clock a.m.,
but that is just the beginning of a day filled with activities. After the
parade, Mass begins with a real Catholic priest to commence the religious
ceremony. This includes a presentation from the prophets, who tell of the
coming of Jesus Christ.
After the religious portion of
ceremonies, the music festival begins and families begin to make their way to
the plaza to greet the kings. It is
required that the kings take a picture with every single child who desires to.
This process can take nearly five hours.
The kings have to be catholic, inside of
a ministry, psychologically stable, and male. All of their work is done
voluntarily, and the kings can serve in their position for the rest of for
years or up until they decide to retire.
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