Religious traditions are so popular to this day and we may know only the basis for each of their stories. But when we dive deep back in history, we get a better understanding of the celebration and the famous Rosca de Reyes works as the perfect example.
Overall story behind the tradition
It is believed that it all started with the Romans and their celebrations to the god Saturn. They used to prepare buns with dry beans inside, then shared them with the rest of the people and slaves, and whoever got a dry bean inside his bun, was then considered “King of saturnalia“ for a day or two.
After that, in Spain during the 14th century, people also had the tradition of slicing a cake with a bean inside, and whoever got that special portion, was named the “King of faba“ and received a lot of tributes and gifts.
Finally, we have the religious version in which people celebrated this tradition conmmemorating the “Meeting of the Epiphany“, the moment when the Three Wise Men traveled all the way to Belen to meet Jesus for the first time.
At first, the tradition was mainly popular within Europe during the Middle Ages, but thanks to the Spanish colonization trips; the celebration also reached America and now it is held by many families all across the world.
The meaning of each element
The shape
Most people attribute its circular shape to the infinite love of God, since it doesn’t have a start nor an end. A few others think that its oval shape is the resemblance of an egg, symbolizing the beginning of life. Either way, this element is the one that holds the deepest meaning of this tradition.
The decoration
Even though you can find so many new designs nowadays according to your food preferences, the traditional Rosca de Reyes is decorated with dry fruits like fig and cherries, and a sugar paste that is usually the most delicious part for everyone. These elements are said to represent the jewels on the crowns of the Three Wise Men and each color represents a different value – green for happiness, red for love, and white for peace.
The figure
Instead of adding beans like they used to back in the day, people now use small plastic figures that represent baby Jesus. According to the story, the figure is hidden inside the bread to symbolize either the meeting of the Wise Men with the newborn, or the moment in which Jesus, right after being born, had to be hidden from King Herodes´ persecution. Today, the person who finds the figure inside their own piece of Rosca, has to pay for the tamales for everyone else present during the celebration up until February 2nd, on Candlemas Day.
Of course, this tradition is so yummy and fun to celebrate each year on January 6th either with family or friends; but it also has a lot of meaning behind it that, when we pull all the pieces together from different time points, it then ends up making a lot of sense as to why it is still a thing to this very day.
Photos from Instagram @decuore.mx
