As Catholics celebrated the Jan. 5 Feast of the Epiphany, the Three Kings rode through the streets of Washington D.C., and arrived at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle on real camels.
To the delight of children and adults alike, the tradition continues to live on, spreading joy and awakening the curiosity and imagination of children.
After the Sunday Mass offered in Spanish, Rhode Island Avenue was closed in that stretch near the cathedral for Melchior, Gaspar and Balthasar to walk with their attendants and their camels.
“Here they come, here they come...,” exclaimed the anxious children.
Everyone participated: children were singing led by Father Isaac Sagastume, teenagers made sure they didn't miss a single detail and adults took out their phones to capture the moment from the steps of the temple.
“We are really surprised, it's fabulous!” said Jackeline Lopez. “They deliver gifts...,” her daughter Emily Garcia, 9, said while her younger brother Chris, 6, showed a big smile.
This Mexican family celebrates the Catholic holiday on Jan. 6 with the traditional rosca de reyes. The children wrote a letter to the Three Kings beforehand and placed it in a shoe. Their parents placed presents as if the characters had visited the home during the night.
Some children leave grass and a container of water with the idea that the camels are thirsty from the long journey.
This feast evokes the time when Jesus was born and, the Three Kings – carrying incense, gold and myrrh – went to meet the newborn baby guided by the star of Bethlehem.
The Three Kings left their camels on Rhode Island Ave., entered the church and settled down at the altar to greet the children. Most of them had questions and Father Sagastume moderated.
“Welcome your majesties. We know that you come from far away following the star. They look really exhausted by the journey,” said the Costa Rican priest who serves as parochial vicar at the cathedral and made use of his talent as a guitarist to liven up the activity.
“What do the camels eat? How many miles did they travel?” were some of the questions asked by the children, most of them of Hispanic origin.
The kings told that their camels eat grass and that they walked thousands of miles from Mozambique, Africa. “We left our home and our kingdom because the true king has been born. He is stronger than all our kingdoms put together. We bring gold to Jesus because He is the king of kings,” they said.
The children experienced the magical and unforgettable moment, thanks to the initiative of the parish and the patience of the parents in preserving the tradition.
The cathedral plans to hold this celebration every year. “We do not want the Feast of the Three Kings to be forgotten. This tradition is deeply rooted in the Hispanic community and has a lot of meaning for us,” according to Fatima Aybar, coordinator of Spanish religious education at St. Matthew.
“The Christmas season has become very commercial and we want to go back to our roots and let the children know that the true meaning of Christmas is Jesus,” she added.
Afterwards, the children shared with the kings, received gold coins (chocolate), drank hot chocolate with panettone, rosca de reyes and cookies in the Great Hall.
