Each year on Jan. 6, families in Chicago rely on traditions and the spirit of giving to celebrate the Epiphany or Three Kings Day, also named Día de Reyes.
Community organizations alongside City Council members are hosting toy giveaways and cultural performances in honor of the story of the Three Wise Men visiting an infant Jesus and bringing him gifts. Mexican bakeries sell out of Rosca de Reyes, a type of sweet bread that families will share after dinner on Monday night. It’s typically enjoyed with hot chocolate, coffee or champurrado.
It’s the highlight of Día de Reyes feasts. The bread is cut and served, and whoever finds baby Jesus in their piece is responsible for making tamales and throwing a party for the next religious holiday on Feb. 2.
There are dozens of places to buy a Rosca de Reyes, but some of the best recipes have decades-long legacies like Artemio’s in Wicker Park, which sells hundreds of Rosca de Reyes cakes annually with lines out the door.
Angelo’s Stuffed Pizza, 4850 S. Pulaski Rd., sells its variation of a Rosca in the form of a pizza for $29.99. It comes stuffed with three baby Jesus figurines and is topped with ham, pineapple, green pepper and pepperoni to represent the typical colors normally found on the sweet bread version.
@angelos_stuffed_pizza Attention everyone! 🎉 This year we bring you the Rosca Pizza. Yes, you heard that right, pizza stuffed with 3 niños! With pepperoni, ham, green pepper, and pineapple to decorate and make it delicious. Our spin on the tradition is fun and tasty. ¿A quién le toca el Niño? Don’t miss out on your Rosca! Pre-orders available in limited quantities. 773-927-9355🍕👑 • • • #RoscaPizza #HappyHolidays #PreOrderNow #larosca #onlyinchicago #angelosstuffedpizza
One event in Lawndale will serve a “giant Rosca” at the OPEN Center for the Arts., 2214 S. Sacramento Ave. There also will be Rosca-themed coloring pages and a craft project to participate in.
Children 12 and under will line up to receive free toys and bicycles at various events around the city. Every year the Puerto Rican Cultural Center partners with the 26th Ward and the Latin American Motorcycle Association’s Chicago chapter to host a toy drive at La Casita de Don Pedro on Paseo Boricua in Humboldt Park, the stretch of Division Street between Western and California Avenues.
This year’s PRCC toy drive marks a historic 30 years since the large steel flags on Divison Street were erected in 1995 on the same day. There will also be a visit from the Three Wise Men, who will pose for photos with families and their children.
On Monday evening, La Escuelita Bombera de Corazón will host a performance in honor of Three Kings Day. Year-round, the school of dance, music and culture at 3505 W. North Ave. celebrates the Afro-Puerto Rican tradition of bomba, or bomba y plena, a percussion-based musical style from Puerto Rico, with classes and community events.
The word “bomba” comes from the Congolese “bambula,” which means to “remember who you are.”
“Our mission is just to educate folks on the Three Kings, from their names to what they stand for,” La Escuelita’s founder and executive Ivelisse Díaz said. “[And] to allow our kiddos that are being raised in the diaspora to also have an opportunity to practice these traditions from Puerto Rico.”
La Escuelita was created in 2009 to “bring people together to learn more about Afro-Puerto Rican culture through the sounds and the power of our drums,” Díaz said. She’s studied bomba for more than 33 years. It’s the oldest genre of Puerto Rican music.
For its first-ever Día de Reyes event, La Escuelita is partnering with the San Lucas United Church of Christ, 2914 W. North Ave. The church donated gifts for families that pre-register for the event.
There will be a bilingual storytime for children, a visit from the Three Wise Men, coffee and hot chocolate, and a bomba y plena performance.