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dedalus_1947Today is the feast of the Epiphany, the 12th Day of Christmas, or Little Christmas. It is the day in which the Redeemer of the World, Jesus Christ, was "revealed" to the three Magi of the East. In Mexico and Latin America, it is celebrated as the major gift-giving day of the Christmas season. In commemoration of the Three Kings (Reyes Magos) who came bearing gifts for the baby Jesus, toys and presents are given to children and adults on this day. In Mexico, the tradition is for children to place their shoes outside their bedrooms, or homes, in the hope that the three kings will leave gifts for them. If they have been good children throughout the year, or "ninos bien educados", they are rewarded with presents, if they have not, they find their shoes empty.
Growing up in a Mexican family in Los Angeles, I remember celebrating our traditional Christmas Day with my brothers and sisters, and then very deliberately, placing our shoes outside our bedrooms on "Twelfth Night", the evening of January 5th. We pointed out these actions to our parents before retiring to sleep, and prayed that the "Reyes Magos" would find their way up North to our home in Los Angeles. I recall receiving candy on a few occasions, but nothing memorable. It became obvious that the "Reyes Magos" did not frequent the United States.
Growing up in a Mexican family in Los Angeles, I remember celebrating our traditional Christmas Day with my brothers and sisters, and then very deliberately, placing our shoes outside our bedrooms on "Twelfth Night", the evening of January 5th. We pointed out these actions to our parents before retiring to sleep, and prayed that the "Reyes Magos" would find their way up North to our home in Los Angeles. I recall receiving candy on a few occasions, but nothing memorable. It became obvious that the "Reyes Magos" did not frequent the United States.
