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Featured image: Three Kings Day photo by Diane Richter
11th annual celebration El Dia de Los Reyes, Three Kings Day
announced for Sunday, Jan. 8 at ArtsQuest
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Gather up the family and plan to join the Three Wise Men in their quest to follow Bethlehem’s “Star of Wonder” to the ArtsQuest SteelStacks campus on Sunday, Jan. 8. The 11th annual cultural celebration, El Dia de los Reyes, Three Kings Day, will be hosted with media partners La Mega, Baby J Production, Sabroso Video and 69-WFMZ Edicion en Espanol from 3–6 p.m. Sponsored by B. Braun Medical, PPL Corporation with gifts funded in part by sponsors and supporters of the event including B. Braun Medical, PPL Corporation, Westside Hammer, Carlos Lopez, Latinos Affinity Group at Amazon ABE4 and US Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots program. This family-friendly event is free and open to the public.
“My family and I always look forward to the Three Kings celebration tradition at ArtsQuest,” said Myrna Rivera, ArtsQuest board of trustee member and chairperson of ArtsQuest’s Sabor! Committee. “Although my PA family has been raised outside the island of Puerto Rico, each year we gather with other Latinx and non-Latinx families to remember and to teach our children (and their children) the 3 Kings tradition. It certainly is a festive way to close out the holiday season.”
The celebration will include a live reading of “The Three Kings” in both Spanish and English by La MEGA Radio hosts and musical performances by Herencia Jibara and a visit from Einstein the Camel from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Delicious snacks by Holy Infancy Catholic Church will be available for purchase throughout the event.
“The Three Kings Day is a beautiful religious and cultural tradition particularly with Latino families,” said Iris M. Cintron, ArtsQuest’s Latin Programing Committee member. “Our son always got his box of grass ready for the camels the day before the Kings arrived. Now his children carry on the tradition.”
Three Kings Day, known as Epiphany or Theophany, is a Christian feast day in celebration of the revelation of God through his Son, Jesus Christ. Three Kings Day marks the end of the festivity filled “12 Days of Christmas” from Spain to Chile to Mexico that commemorate the journey of the Three Wise Men or Magi from the East, Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar to Bethlehem to present the newly born baby Jesus with holy gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
“This annual event has become a wonderful tradition and it kicks off our 2023 calendar of concerts, classes, events and festivals,” said ArtsQuest President and CEO Kassie Hilgert. “We’re excited to welcome the community back to our campus for this family-friendly celebration.”
Children will take a journey through the ArtsQuest Center, enjoying fun-filled activities including arts and crafts before meeting the Three Kings who will hand out toys. Everyone is welcome to attend this dynamic cultural experience.
About ArtsQuest
ArtsQuest’s mission is to provide access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational experiences using arts and culture as key elements of economic development for our urban communities. ArtsQuest™ supports this mission via the presentation of performing and visual arts, film, arts education classes and outreach, youth programming and cultural events.
Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest; the Banana Factory Arts Center; and the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest’s programming reaches more than 1.9 million people annually. The organization’s programs and events, approximately 50% of which are free to attend, have a combined economic impact of more than $136 million annually in the region. ArtsQuest is a proud member of NIVA, the National Independent Venue Association.
Information provided to TVL by:
Kelley Andrade, ArtsQuest
Public Relations Coordinator
http://www.artsquest.org/
