Crowning community achievement

Abington Journal // News

Festival of Three Kings

December 31, 2008
Crowning community achievement

Holiday event set for January 2 in Scranton.

By Shelby Fisk sfisk@scrantonedition.com
Scranton Edition Staff Writer

SCRANTON- Pedro Gonzalez, executive director for the Latino Cultural Diversity Center and the public relations person and community outreach officer for Latinos Inspired for Empowerment, said that the Latino holiday Festival of the Three Kings is usually held on January 6.

However, this year, some of Scranton will celebrate early on January 2 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the West Side Senior Center at 1004 Jackson Street in Scranton.

He said that the two organizations he is part of will come together to celebrate the traditional holiday, which he grew up enjoying. Gonzalez, who was born in Puerto Rico, said he celebrated the Festival of the Three Kings as a child. Now he wants others to enjoy a holiday he has loved for years.

“Living in the U.S., it can get lost,” Gonzalez said. “Youth can forget heritage and what has been implemented by society as a whole. It’s important to keep in touch with roots, to bring back heritage.”

This year, a local celebration run by the Latino Cultural Diversity Center and Latinos Inspired for Empowerment will take place on January 2, during which Pennsylvania National Guard will be participating. Gonzalez said they will be present at the event and hand out presents. The same Guard will be deployed overseas later on the same day, which is why the celebration is early.

“In the future, we’d like to have it closer to the sixth, but there are sometimes things to conform to,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez said many other organizations are involved with the celebration. The list includes The University of Scranton, Latinos Inspired for Empowerment, United Neighborhood Center, Abington Lions Club and the local chapter of the American Red Cross.

“So many people are helping and this is the first time, so we’re very excited,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez said the celebration “is like any other Christmas celebration, promoting love and happiness.”

The Web site praachicago.org/the_three_kings_festival.aspx explains how the Festival of the Three Kings is traditionally celebrated. “There are several ways in which Puerto Ricans honor these three royal figures. Many Puerto Ricans pray and sing to the Kings with songs that remember and pay homage to the wise men. One prominent example of this occurs in (the campo) countryside, where groups gather to do (rosarios cantados de Reyes) rosary prayers to the Kings which are accompanied by (aguinaldos) Christmas caroling dedicated the royal men.”

“The children are taught to find a shoe box, fill it with grass and hay and leave it under their beds, or under the Christmas tree, on the eve of January 6. During that night, the children sleep lightly, waiting for the sounds of the camels’ hooves or the whispers of the Wise Men, as they pass through the children’s homes bearing their gifts. The Three Kings, tired from a long journey to find Christ, would use the hay to feed their hungry camels. In gratitude, the Kings would leave a gift for the children in the place where the boxes were left.”

Gonzalez said that during the Scranton celebration, men from a Latin church will dress as the kings and deliver presents. The presents that will be given out will be collected by community members who “adopt” children for whom to buy gifts.

Gonzalez said there were originally 37 children on his list that needed gifts. So far, 33 have been “adopted,” although Gonzalez anticipates more children will be added to the list.

There is still time, Gonzalez said, to buy for children on the list or request that a child be added. Gonzalez noted that to be added, the child does not have to be Latino.

For details, contact Pedro Gonzalez at 614-9480 or gonzalezgiveagift@yahoo.com.