Lindsay Skedgell Photos
At Saturday's Three Kings Day celebration at 148 Sylvan Ave.
Toys were abundant this Saturday at the annual Three Kings Day celebration held at Casa Otoñal Community Center on Sylvan Avenue.
This was the second time the Puerto Rican Festival of New Haven, Casa Otoñal Inc., New Haven Hispanic Firefighters Association, and The Ricardo Torres Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund came together to host a citywide Three Kings Day event, handing out free toys to families throughout New Haven.
Joseph Rodriguez and Elmer Rivera Bello.
“Celebrating Three Kings Day has a long history. It’s important for us to spread the love. Over 600 kids showed up already,” said Joseph Rodriguez, board president of Puerto Ricans United.
Three Kings Day, celebrated 12 days after Christmas, honors the three wise men who brought gifts to Christ after his birth. Celebrated in several Latin American traditions, it’s a holiday that centers the philosophy of gift giving and feasting each year.
As families filled the Casa Otoñal Community Center, a band began to play outside.
Kids ran jubilantly with their newly acquired toys.
Inside, three kings were dressed in crowns, royal blue, jade green, and turquoise robes, taking photographs with families.
Elmer Rivera Bello, director of Casa Otoñal, reflected on the annual celebration. “Three Kings Day is about preserving our traditions and sharing with the broader community. It’s important to our identity, to who we are as Latinos. It’s about spreading joy and being together.”
As the day continued, bikes were raffled off to kids in attendance, attendees enjoyed cups of hot chocolate, and the band continued to play, inspiring one of the three kings to raise his arms in joy. The energy remained upbeat as community members continued to celebrate, collectively keeping tradition alive.
Where is the Black King Balthazar,Who is linked to Ethiopia, Africa, and the East?
The Story of the Black King Among The Magi.
https://sarahemilybond.com/2020/01/12/the-story-of-the-black-king-among-the-magi/
Afrodescendencia