On the day that is often refferred to Epiphany, January 6th, on the Western Church Calendar, is called “El Dia de los Reyes” in Ecuador. Here every January 6th, El Dia de los Reyes or Three Kings Day is the day where the children wake up very early in the morning and run to open the gifts that the Three Kings of the East have left at the Christmas tree or near the representation of the Nativity. It is a festive day of games and family reunions where everything is special and where children continue believing in the magic of a Christmas, that this day is dismissed until next year.
In some countries like Mexico, there is a special cake that is baked called the Rosca de Reyesis. A bread with circular shape and a hole in the middle, made with a sweet dough, decorated with dried fruits and which hides a special surprise: the figure of a child. The lucky person who gets this figure usually receives some kind of special gift on that day.
The children in the Home for At Risk Children were able to really celebrate el Dia de los Reyes this year as they were invited to participate in a special celebration of the day put on by an Ecuadorian organization near Quito that wanted to celebrate the children who might not have a family of their own to celebrate with. The kids played games, ate delicious food, met new friends and each child received their own Dia de los Reyes present. It was a fun filled days with many memories for the children to take with them for years to come.
