SAN DIEGO — It's Three King's Day on Monday and here to help Morning Extra celebrate is Claudia Hernandez from La Concha Bakery in Chula Vista with a Rosca de Reyes. Rosca de Reyes is a sweet bread, which is a special food for Three King's Day, known as "Día de Reyes" in Spanish, and celebrated on January 6 in Mexico.
"Rosca" means wreath and "Reyes" means kings, so a direct translation of Rosca de Reyes would be "Kings' Wreath". The sweet bread is shaped in the form of a wreath and a figurine of a baby baked inside. This special treat is often called "Rosca."
In Mexico, it is customary for friends and family to get together on January 6 to eat Rosca, usually accompanied by a warm drink. Usually, each person cuts their own slice and the one who gets a piece of Rosca with the baby figurine is expected to host a party on Día de la Candelaria (Candlemas), which is celebrated on February 2nd. On that day, the traditional food is tamales. Nowadays bakers tend to put several baby figurines in the Rosca, so the responsibility for making (or buying) the tamales can be shared among several people.
The symbolism of the Rosca de Reyes speaks of the Biblical story of Mary and Joseph's flight to Egypt to protect the infant Jesus from the slaughter of the innocents.
A special celebration for Three Kings Day will be held Monday at the San Ysidro Civic Center from noon to 3 p.m.