A holiday tradition marks the end of the season.

Celia Jiménez here, thinking about rosca and the gifts my nieces and nephew will get from the Reyes Magos, the Three Wise Men, a tradition my sister and I enjoy and one she will start with her kids this year. 

Jan. 6 for many Latinos, including me, signals the end of Christmas and a time to get a first, or another, gift, but this time from Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar. 

Victor Garcia, one of the organizers of the Three Wise Men celebration scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 5 from noon to 4:30pm at Martin Luther King Jr. Academy in Salinas, says he wants to make this celebration more widely known among younger Latinos. “We want to continue passing on and teaching the tradition of the Three Wise Men to the new generations,” he says. 

The Three Wise Men celebrations include a special cake local bakeries, including La Plaza in Greenfield and La Soledad in Salinas, prepare in advance so people can enjoy them with a hot drink or milk. 

The rosca tradition includes sharing a cake with family and friends. One lucky person will get the niño, a plastic figurine—and then will pay for tamales or a party on Candlemas Day, Feb. 2.

“I always thought that La Rosca de Reyes, since all the young kids are playing with their toys, was for the adults,” recalls Raul Rodriguez, one of the owners of La Plaza Bakery. “They have something to do, something to celebrate.” 

Alegria Musical, which organizes community events across the Central Coast and promotes cultural events and local talent, is in charge of the Jan. 5 event. Previous Three Kings events were smaller and focused on the rosca or king’s cake, but this time it will be a family event. 

“What we are trying to do is to bring that main element, which is the Three Wise Men,” Garcia says. 

This year, the celebration expands with live music, dance performances, toys for kids, champurrado and rosca.

“This is the first time we're trying to do it bigger and next year we're hoping to grow it even better,” Garcia says. 

Northridge Mall, also in Salinas, will observe this tradition too on Monday, Jan. 6 from 5-8pm, with activities, craft stations and toys. In both events, the Three Wise Men will be present. 

How have you celebrated this tradition? And what was your favorite present from the Three Kings? Mine was a pink bicycle when I was 10.