Here are some pictures of a Three Kings Day party the CYM in Mexico City had this year with Randy Smith, president of Youth Ministry International. He’s in town to teach a missions class, and the students decided to teach him something about Mexican culture.
Click the thumbnail to see a larger version of the picture.
Tonight we went to the movies. You can tell it’s been a while since we’ve been to the movies in the United States, and we’re a little spoiled by the movie theaters in Mexico City.
First off, the prices for tickets are outrageous. More than 8 dollars per ticket seemed a little steep for us. But we were happy to be on a date, so we got tickets to the new National Treasure movie. The movies in Mexico are cheap, somewhere around 4 dollars. If we go on Wednesdays, the tickets are two for one. For 8 bucks, we can get tickets to the VIP theater where you sit in recliners and order the food from waiters.
Speaking of food, the funniest thing happened at the concession stand. We were looking at the prices of the popcorn and drinks, and we noticed that there were “combos.” I asked how much the medium drink and popcorn combo was, and the guy behind the counter told me $10. I looked at the prices of the drinks and popcorn and thought that the price didn’t make sense. A medium drink is $5.50 and a medium popcorn is $4.50. That’s 10 bucks. So why is the combo $10? He looked at me and said, “It’s not a deal, it’s a combo.”
I thought that was one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard. I always thought that combos were deals. Anyway, we had fun at the movies on a date. That’s something we haven’t done in a long time. The movie was pretty good, too.
Thumbnail by: Bulldog1
In Mexico, Epiphany is celebrated on January 6, and it is called “El Dia de Los Tres Reyes,” or “Three Kings Day.” It is the day when the three wise men from the east arrived looking for baby Jesus. The tradition has even given names to the three kings: Melchor, Gaspar, and Balthazar, and they arrived on horse, camel, and elephant.
I’m sure there are many ways of celebrating this day, but here are some of the things I have seen and learned in my time in Mexico. You can get your pictures taken with the three kings like you would get your picture taken with Santa Claus. The children write a note to the three kings asking for a gift (remember, they originally brought gifts to baby Jesus), and they send it off tied to a helium balloon. Then, the kings bring the gift for the children on the Three Kings Day.
Another tradition behind Three Kings Day is the Rosca de Reyes, which is a sweet bread that has a plastic baby Jesus inside of it. Each person cuts their piece of bread, and the one who finds the baby Jesus must have a party on the 2nd of February.
Photos by: Bookish in North Park via Flickr and SpacePotato
We went to our nephew’s soccer game today, and Nathan wanted to have a go at it. He’s pretty good for his age.
A quick video of my trip to the Dolphins’ game in Miami with my dad.
