Mexico Stories - 3 Kings Day

(Ongoing rants from a gringo working in Silao, Mexico, til March '06)

Last night, the traffic into Irapuato was unexpectedly terrible. Cars were backed-up and parked willy-nilly everywhere - traffic islands, sidewalks, parks. Hoards of people with their kids were streaming into the center of the city. All the kids had balloons.

After fighting through the chaos, we stopped by the "Mega" grocery store and the bakery section; it is usually filled with a dazzling array of baked breads and sweets, but was instead stacked high with "Rosca de Reyes", donut-shaped cakes topped with sugared fruit. Both "Chica" and "Grande"-sized.

As it turns out, it was all because today is "King's Day", making last night "King's Day Eve". Irapuato is renowned for its big celebration, with food and musicians and a parade with decorated cars, one of which has the "3 Kings" riding in it.

All the kids line the street for a glimpse of the "3 Kings" when the parade passes. When they see them, they whip into a frenzy, crying out "3 Kings! Don't forget my wish! Don't forget my balloon! Catch my balloon!" Then they release their balloons, to which is tied a piece of paper with their Christmas wish written on it.

They know that the 3 Kings will be up in the sky, plucking their balloons from the air and fulfilling their written wishes for toys and bikes and dolls.

The next morning, on King's Day, they wake up to their presents in front of the fireplace and a "Rosca de Reyes" from the bakery. As they slice and eat the cake, whoever gets the plastic baby baked inside has an obligation to the rest of the partakers. They did this all day at work, too.

Sound familiar? I'm dying to know how this same, symbolic cake came to be shared by two culturally different occasions in two different countries: In the U.S.A. (well, in the Gulf states, anyway), we celebrate Mardi Gras 40 days before Easter with a King Cake and a plastic baby, the finder buying next year's King Cake. In Mexico, they celebrate "King's Day" 12 days after Christmas with the very same cake, with the plastic baby representing "Niño de Dios" and the winner making tamales for everyone on February 2nd.

February 2nd - Not because it's Groundhog Day or Shawn's Birthday, but because that is the Catholic holiday celebrating the day that Baby Jesus was first presented in church.

It was cool how it all snapped into place - letters to "Santa" and notes to the "3 Kings", "King Cake" and "Rosca de Reyes", plastic baby and baby Jesus - but there is much I still want to know: Why is the cake called "King" for Mardi Gras? How did the tradition come to the U.S. Gulf region - from France or Mexico? How did it get to Mexico? Why tamales on February 2nd?

And what happens if the Baby Jesus sees his shadow?

Discovering Mexico can be pretty neat-o.

(In the USA, at Walmart, if something has spilled or someone is mopping, there is a wet floor warning sign in both English and Spanish; here at the plant, the sign is only in English. It is now winter, and from the road, you see many fires; fires to burn scrap left from crops, fires to burn trash, fires to keep people warm. If the temperature drops below 50 degrees, everyone puts on a scarf. There is a 50-ft high roadside sign for a local restaurant cut out in the shape of a bull; in case the horns didn't clue you in, there is a 6-ft pair of danglies hanging between his legs. The haystacks glow beautifully honey-gold in the sunrise; they are notably gorgeous - mostly because it never rains here in the winter and they are the first I've seen that aren't tinted grey with mold. The drive-through beer stand is a half cerveza can on lying on its side. There is a soccer field next to the road wedged in-between stores on 2 sides and a strawberry field in the back; a 30-ft high net completely surrounds it on the sideline to keep the ball on the field. Stacked, used car tires make excellent retaining walls. Buildings seen from the road are often not finished; abandoned by builders who get to the halfway point before demanding additional money from the owner - money that is above and beyond the quoted price and the owner often doesn't have.)