Chocolate for Día de los Reyes Magos

On January 6, Señora Miller's sixth and eighth grade Spanish students received Monedas de oro de chocolate (chocolate, gold coins) and learned about Spanish folklore for Día de los Reyes Magos (Three Kings Day or Three Wise Men Day), traditionally marked by spectacular parades throughout Spain and Latin-America.

The annual Epiphany celebration takes place in cities and towns with hundreds of people crowding along the main roads to get a glimpse of the Three Kings as they enter each town and city delivering gifts. The Wise Men are legendary figures, like the Italian folklore Befana who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on Epiphany Eve, similar to St. Nicholas or Santa Claus.

According to western tradition, the Kings follow a star and travel from far away places. Balthasar is often represented as a king of Arabia or Ethiopia, Melchor as a king of Persia, and Gaspar as a king of India.