Bethlehem continues celebrating the Christmas holiday season with its annual Three Kings event at StealStacks Jan. 7. The 12th day after Christmas (Epiphany) is commemorated in Christian communities as the day the three Magi kings, Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar, followed a star across the desert for 12 days, arriving in ancient Bethlehem to present baby Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

For many Christians in Central and South American countries, as well as Latin America, El Dia de los Reyes/Three Kings Day is a cherished cultural and religious tradition.

Event organizer and coordinator Myrna Rivera has been part of this event for 10 years. Rivera and her daughter, Monica Werkheiser, a volunteer, have seen ebbs and flows in attendance with variables such as COVID and this year’s snowstorm.

Minor changes have happened over time, but the heart of the event is the Biblical story of the three kings, traveling for 12 days to see the baby Jesus. The story is read to the children in both English and Spanish, while children have the opportunity to make their own crowns and visit with Einstein the snow camel. A celebrity in the valley, Einstein is known for his notorious escape on Rt. 309 during a prior snowstorm.

Werkheiser’s reminiscence of past Three Kings Day events included children dressing up as kings.

“When they dressed up as a king they seemed to understand that this is more than just getting a gift.” The event became so popular it became difficult to manage and was phased out.

“We also wanted to reward the outstanding costumes, but we weren’t sure we could guarantee prizes.”

The roles of the Three Kings have been played each year by William Cintron, Ramon Rodriguez and Nelson Matos – the same three for 12 years – since the beginning of the Lehigh Valley event. Children and their families had the chance to have their pictures taken with the kings and the camel. Music was provided by Los Pleneros de USA and food was provided by Holy Infancy Church. Marines from the Marine Corp League Bethlehem Detachment were present to help direct guests to each activity.