South Bronx McDonald’s owners Tony Rodriguez and Joseph Guerriera hosted their annual Three Kings Day celebration, also known as Día de los Reyes. The event was packed with community members, families and loved ones to commemorate the new year.
Three Kings Day is celebrated 12 days after Christmas and is referred to as the Epiphany. The holiday celebrates the day the three wise men –also known as the Magi– who first saw baby Jesus and brought him gifts. Mexico, Spain, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and other Spanish-speaking countries celebrate the holiday.
Tony Rodriguez owned this McDonald’s location for 35 years and viewed this event as a way to give back to his community through the children. Three Kings Day is one of their biggest events during the holidays which they’ve hosted for over 20 years.
“It’s a great celebration because a lot of kids don’t know the tradition and culture. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and I was born with Three Kings Day,” Rodriguez said.
He said despite his parents becoming a little Americanized, he would receive a small gift for Christmas, but an even bigger gift for Three Kings Day.
“And we [his siblings] used to go up in the hills and collect grass and put it in a shoebox, so that the camels would feed,” Rodriguez said. “The kids here [in America] leave cookies and milk for Santa, we used to leave grass for the camels and our parents would take the box and put a gift in the box. It’s a beautiful celebration.”
Rodriguez told the Bronx Times that he hoped his children would continue on his tradition and learn more about their traditions.
“Especially the giving part,” he said. “It’s not only about taking, but giving and sharing with others.”
Bishop Ebony Kirkland was in attendance with her fellow chaplains from the Worldwide Association of Small Churches. She’s also president of the Bronx Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. In partnership with Tony Rodriguez, she’s been co-hosting this event for over 20 years.
“We pray that the children understand the story behind the giving of the Three Kings. The Three Kings came to give homage to a baby that came to free the world,” Kirkland said.
“We pray that they understand that even at Christmas, when we have all this giving, it’s not just about giving toys. It’s about giving love, companionship, family and unity.”
Belkis Lora, CEO of the Grand Slam Foundation –an organization dedicated to empowering children and youth by connecting them to sports, supportive programs and services– attended the event with kids she works with who received toys and learned more about Three Kings Day.
“It’s a tradition that we’ve had since we were kids and it was so wonderful to wait at night time for the gifts. It was so much happiness growing up with that tradition,” Lora said. “Three Kings means a lot to me and I will always help to make sure that our kids grow up keeping that tradition.”
Lenny Encarnacion attended the event with her 8-year-old son who received a Crayola set during the gifting portion.
“My son is having a good time. He got to learn more about the Three Kings [story] and he’s like ‘Mommy, that is so beautiful,’” Encarnacion said. “I got the time to explain to him what it is… These types of events are reinforcing the culture.”
Encarnacion said that the holiday is something she hadn’t regularly been celebrating and now she’s able to share it with her son for the first time.
“I know from today and on, it’s something that he will never forget,” she said.
Reach Keke Grant-Floyd at keiwana.grantfloyd19@gmail.com. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
