Puerto Rican Coalition To Host Brentwood 'Three Kings Day' Event

BRENTWOOD, NY — Children of Long Island can soon enjoy a celebratory end to the Christmas season.

On Sunday, Jan. 8, the Puerto Rican Coalition for a Better Community will host a "Three Kings Day" event at the Knights of Columbus, located at 96 Second Ave. in Brentwood. The event will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Candido Crespo, president of the coalition, told Patch that they have hosted the event for at least 20 years.

Children will meet the three kings, or magi, Gaspar (or Caspar), Melchior, and Balthasar, and receive gifts. The St. Anne's children chorus will also perform.

According to Christianity, the kings arrived in Bethlehem 12 days after the birth of Jesus. The men presented Jesus with the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, to symbolize that Jesus was the Messiah.

Three Kings Day, which falls on January 6, is widely celebrated around the world, especially in Latin America. The event will also offer "Rosca de Reyes", or king cakes, which contain a small doll inside to represent Jesus.

"The reason I like to keep this event going is because of the culture and traditions," Crespo told Patch. "It is a great thing to be able to share and pass on to the younger generations and even with children that have never celebrated it, so they can learn and have some understanding of the meaning of Three Kings Day."