Celebration marks Three Kings Day

January 9, 2011 at 12:05a.m.

“We Three Kings” is more than just a song to be sung at Christmastime. For the Puerto Rican community, it’s an important part of the holiday tradition.

Three Kings Day is a celebration commemorating the biblical story of the three kings who followed the star of Bethlehem to bring gifts to baby Jesus. For many Latinos, it’s a holiday that focuses on children because they receive gifts from three kings, symbolizing those given to Jesus.

The event was marked Saturday by a celebration at the Organizacion Civica y Cultural Hispana Americana Hall on Shirley Road on Youngstown’s South Side. Hundreds of people crowded into the hall to enjoy food, Latino holiday music, and, of course, a visit from the three kings.

“It’s a Puerto Rican tradition, but we welcome everyone. You don’t have to be Puerto Rican to participate,” said Mary Isa Garayua, OCCHA president. “It’s just to celebrate the holiday and to keep up with the tradition.”

She said the gifts are available to children up to age 13.

The kings are Balthasar, an Arabian king who was portrayed by John Vasquez; Gaspar, who was from India and was portrayed by Baron Reynolds; and Melchior, a Persian king who was portrayed by Pastor Rafael Cruz. Reynolds and Vasquez were in their second years participating as kings, while Cruz was jokingly referred to as “the rookie” of the trio.

After the kings entered and were seated at the front of the hall, children were called forward in order of their registration. Each child received a bag of candy from the kings, then was allowed to select a wrapped gift from tables loaded with presents.

The gifts were sorted according to gender and by age groups and had been purchased with money raised largely by the Latin American Motorcycle Club of Youngstown, which sponsors the event and has fundraisers throughout the year to help pay for the event, as well as other charitable causes.

“It’s something we like to do because we don’t want [the children] to forget their heritage,” said LAMA President Felix Febrez. He and Kirk Krall, LAMA vice president, said the club tries hard to support projects that benefit underprivileged children.

Atty. Mariam Ocasio, OCCHA vice president, said the club expected between 80 and 100 children, based on preregistration, but ended up seeing more than 150 come through the door. Still, there were enough gifts to go around.

“We always get extra, just in case more show up than we’re expecting, and thank God there was plenty this time,” Ocasio said. She said there were a few gifts left over, but they’ll be held and given to children who had signed up but were not able to attend.

Although the children clearly were excited at the prospect of receiving a gift and a bag of candy, they waited patiently until their turn was called. After they opened their gifts, they picked up the discarded wrapping paper and put it in trash cans.

Rowdy Sepulveda, 28, of Youngstown, sat at the back of the hall with his wife, Glenda Castro, waiting their turn to take their 3-year-old daughter, Rowdaly, forward.

“I started telling her a while ago about the kings, that they are like Santa Claus,” Sepulveda said, noting that his daughter was excited. “She was ready to come.”

In keeping with the tradition of the holiday, some of the children had brought shoe boxes, which they had decorated and filled with oats or grass, to be fed to the kings’ camels, and some had written letters to the kings, much like children who leave cookies and write letters to Santa Claus.

Established in March 1972, OCCHA is a nonprofit organization that serves Hispanics and the community at large in Mahoning County. Its mission is to focus on programs of social, economic, educational and cultural needs as it seeks to improve the overall literacy abilities and quality of life for its clients.

The OCCHA hall, which sits just off Midlothian Boulevard, was donated to the organization several years ago by local businessman Shorty Navarro, who wanted it to have a facility it could use for programs to assist children as well as senior citizens