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The 12th annual celebration, El Dia de Los Reyes, to be held on Sunday, Jan. 7 at ArtsQuest
December 14, 2023, Bethlehem, PA – ArtsQuest is proud to announce the return of Three Kings Day, El Dia de los Reyes, in its 12th annual celebration on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks campus. This free event, a cherished religious and cultural tradition of many Latin American countries, is presented by PPL and media partner La Mega along with supporting sponsor, B. Braun Medical, Inc. Follow the star to Bethlehem as doors will open at 2 p.m.
During the Three Kings celebration, children are encouraged to come hear a reading of the Story of the Three Kings followed by gift giving. Kids can also take part in a variety of fun-filled activities including arts and crafts, a visit with Einstein the Snow Camel, delicious food for purchase from Holy Infancy Church and live musical performances.
“Growing up in Bethlehem with Puerto Rican parents, the Christmas holiday season always included many festivities with family and friends where we celebrated joyfully by singing and dancing to “parranda” music, eating traditional Puerto Rican meals and most importantly making sure the young children received gifts and/or treats,” said Myrna Rivera, member of the ArtsQuest Board of Trustees and Chair of the Latin Programming Committee. “We continue to share these traditions with our children during the Three Kings celebration at ArtsQuest to ensure these Holiday traditions are preserved for generations to come.”
“Growing up in South Bethlehem, I always felt lucky because not only did we get to celebrate Christmas, we also celebrated El Dia de los Reyes. For a kid, it was the best of both worlds,” commented Lissette Santana, PPL Senior Manager Corporate Responsibility. I’m grateful to ArtsQuest for including this special Latine tradition in its exciting lineup of holiday celebrations. PPL is proud to support ArtsQuest’s Three Kings Day and share this special cultural tradition with a new generation of children in our community.”
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.
“I was born and raised in Puerto Rico,” said Miguel Perez, ArtsQuest Performing Arts Board Member and B. Braun Medical Inc. Senior Demand Planner. “The Three Kings Day has always been part of my upbringing during the Christmas festivities. It was a day of true celebration with family and neighbors, singing “parranda” style music, sharing traditional Puerto Rican dishes and of course, presents! I remember collecting grass in a shoe box to feed the camels as they would spend the eve of Epiphany Day delivering toys to each home. I share the cultural value of this tradition today. with my daughters.”
Perez continues, “Recognizing the importance of this day to our growing Latin community, ArtsQuest celebrates this deeply rooted Latin America tradition to ensure all children attending this event receives toys and/or treats while providing a close-to-home experience with typical food, music, storytelling and comradery for this and future generations.”
In addition to the festivities taking place at the ArtsQuest Center, the Ice-Skating rink will host Three Kings Day, hosted by La Mega, with both the 2:30 and 4:15 p.m. skating sessions. Get your tickets for skating at christmascity.org and for additional information on Three Kings Day, visit steelstacks.org.
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, of which over 50% are free to attend, have a combined economic impact of more than $136 million annually in the region.
Information provided to TVL by:
Jennifer LoConte
Director of Communications
ArtsQuest
http://www.artsquest.org/
