Borderland celebrates Dia de Reyes

The holiday season is not over just yet, at least for some families in the Borderland.

Friday marks Three Kings Day, or Dia de los Reyes. The day commemorates the arrival of the Three Wise Men who then proclaimed Jesus the Son of God.

In some cultures, the day is traditionally celebrated with Rosca de Reyes, or King’s Bread. The bread is an oval shape, almost looks like a wreath, with candied fruit on top.

At Bowie Bakery in south El Paso, it’s one of the busiest days for the business. Employees started the day at 3 a.m. with about a dozen workers behind the scenes.

“Today is the day we get out late,” said Maria Torres, an employee. She added it’s busier than Christmas.

Torres said the bakery is expected to make 600 roscas. If they sell out in the middle of the day, more will be made.

There are two types of roscas sold at Bowie Bakery, one without filling which costs $10.99 and one with Mexican ‘cajeta’ filling for $14.99.

Bakers hide little figurines of baby Jesus inside the rosca and the person who gets the figurine must host a small party at a later date.

The figurine inside the bread represents the flight of the Holy Family, fleeing from King Herod’s Massacre of the Innocents.

As the Bible story goes, the Three Kings showered baby Jesus with gifts. To mark the day, many children will also receive small gifts.