SteelStacks was alive with music, food, pageantry and celebration Jan. 8 as the community gathered to celebrate Three Kings Day – the traditional end of the Christmas season and the beginning of Epiphany.

El Dia de los Reyes (Three Kings Day) is the 12th and final day of the Christmas season. It is a day of reverie and rejoicing, especially for Christians in Central and South America. This celebration itself stems from the New Testament Gospel of Matthew (2:1–12) where it is stated the kings, Melchor, Gaspar and Balthasar, traveled by night all the way from the farthest parts of the world to bring gifts to Jesus, whom they recognized as the Son of God. This is a cherished religious and cultural tradition for many Latin American countries and communities around the world. Anyone even minimally exposed to Christianity and the story of the birth of Jesus has heard the story of the three Kings/wise men/Magi who visited the baby Jesus. It took 12 days after the birth of Jesus for the wise men to find him in Bethlehem, thus the 12 days of Christmas.

Three Kings /Twelfth night celebrations are not limited to Latino countries. The play, “Twelfth Night” or (What You Will) by William Shakespeare is believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as entertainment for the Twelfth Night (Three Kings Day) event commissioned for performance held by Queen Elizabeth I at Whitehall Palace 6 Jan. 1601.

Other Three King traditions include the Celtic tradition of randomly choosing a “king for the day” – focusing on a special bread with a prize/bean in it. This continued in Britain, Ireland, France and Spain – and eventually New Orleans – with variations reflecting the culture and cuisine of each region.

Three Kings Celebration at SteelStacks meets all expectations of tradition and grandeur. It is a cultural program directed by ArtsQuest’s Latino Community Advisory Committee, which is comprised of leaders from the Lehigh Valley’s Latino community.

ArtsQuest board members and Latin programming committee members Myrna Rivera and Iris Cintron oversee each detail of this event. They are grateful to local corporate sponsors and individuals who contribute time, money and toys.

All attending children are encouraged to come hear a reading of the Story of the Three Kings followed by gift giving. Retired Marine Doug Graves of the 284 detachment – Bethlehem said the Marines were there to help distribute toys to the children. The toys are collected through the Toys for Tots collection program.

Adding to the excitement and energy of the event is music – provided by Herencia Jibara and food provided by Holy Infancy Church – both part of the Bethlehem community.

And the coup de grace? The arrival of the Three Kings, played by Ramon Rodriguez, Willie Cintron and Nelson Matos. These three men have played the roles of the three kings for 12 years – since the first Three Kings Day event at SteelStacks. Einstein the Camel is another crowd favorite.

Einstein (yes, the snow camel) reached celebrity status in November 2018 when he was seen walking along Route 309 during a freak snowstorm. He was on his way to Philadelphia and he needed to leave his trailer, briefly, so it could make it up a snowy hill. Einstein is actually a nine-foot tall dromedary. Einstein stood proudly outside Musikfest Café happily grazing and greeting guests. It is believed the original three kings traveled by camel to Bethlehem.