Día De Reyes Traditions: 3 New Ways To Celebrate Epiphany In 2016

While the holidays may be over for some of us, the celebrations are still in full swing for many families, especially those who celebrate Dia de los Reyes, which is also known as Epiphany. The holiday is a designated Christian feast day and serves as a celebration of the twelve days of Christmas and remember the journey of the three wise men who traveled to Bethlehem, bearing gifts for the infant Jesus. While this traditional holiday is rooted in old customs, we have decided to celebrate Three Kings Day with a twist, by infusing storied traditions with a few, fun modern additions. With the help of Bullseye View, the Three Kings are being replaced by three bloggers who are putting a fresh spin on the classic celebrations. First things first, let’s talk Rosca de Reyes. Blogger Oriana Romero, from Mommyhood’s Diary is sharing a delicious recipe for this customary sweet treat. Rosa de Reyes is a sweet bread, shaped like a wrath and garnished with nuts, candy, and fruit. Romero’s recipe foregoes the traditional ingredients and instead adds chocolate, because isn’t everything better with chocolate? Check out the full recipe for Chocolate Three Kings Bread below!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 envelope (3⁄4 oz) highly active yeast
• 6 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1⁄2 tsp. Market Pantry ground cinnamon
• 1⁄2 tsp. Kosher salt
• 3 eggs at room temperature
• 1⁄2 cup Market Pantry granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp. Market Pantry butter, melted
• 1⁄4 cup almond liqueur
• 1⁄2 cup Market Pantry whole milk
• 1 egg + 1 Tbsp. water for egg wash

For decoration:

• Candied fruits
• Market Pantry almonds (slivered and sliced)

Directions:

• In a medium bowl mix flour, yeast, cocoa, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
• Place eggs, sugar, butter, almond liqueur and milk into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook (bread paddle) attachment; mix on medium speed until combined. Add the flour mixture, in three batches, and continue mixing until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about eight to 10 minutes. The dough should be elastic but not sticky; if too sticky add a little more flour, about a tablespoon at a time.
• Form a ball and place dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for two hours.
• Line a baking tray with lightly greased parchment paper.
• Place dough on a lightly floured surface. You can divide the dough, in 2 equal parts, to make 2 medium sized breads, or leave as is to make a big one. To form the ring just make a hole in the middle of the ball, with your fingers, and stretch the dough with your hands until reaching the desired size. Transfer to the prepared baking tray, cover and let rest for one more hour.
• Preheat oven to 350⁰F, allowing at least 20 minutes before transferring the bread ring(s) to the oven
• Brush top of the ring with egg wash. Decorate the top with candied fruits and almonds, pressing them in gently.
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving. After the bread has cooled insert the plastic baby dolls from the bottom of the bread, if desired.
• If you want to make your Chocolate Three Kings Bread even more irresistible, cut in half, and fill it with whipped cream. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

Now for the decorations, like the name of the holiday implies, crowns are important motif! But that doesn’t mean you need to have a royal budget to put on a regal affair. Blogger Angie Ramirez of Little Inspiration has provided some tricks to the decorating trade, and even proposed some kid friendly activities in order to include the entire family in the preparation of Dia de los Reyes. Keeping with the wreath theme, Ramirez used a Smith & Hawken boxwood wreath from Target and decided to adorn it with hand crafted holiday decorations. She, along with the help of her children, created mini pipe cleaner crowns and placed them all over the wreath and table, creating a fun and festive feel.

Last but certainly not least are some gift ideas, Silvia Martinez from Mama Latina Tips reveals that while changing up traditions is fun, going back to basics can be just as fun. Keeping in line with the traditional gift in shoes, Martinez has each of her children place one of their shoes near the Christmas tree before going to bed, then in the middle of the night the three wise men come and place small trinkets in them to discover the next morning. Due to the three wise men’s occupation as scientists and astronomers, try to give gifts that focus on developing the scientist, engineer and mathematician within. Check out her suggestions for fun, yet stimulating gifts!

• Qwirkle
• Scrabble
• Mastermind
• Engineering and construction toys like the Lego Architecture Series (United Nations HQ, Creator and Star Wars)
• Wonderology
• Basic science instruments like microscopes and binoculars are perfect for the young scientist observing nature close up.
• Math skills are essential for crafters, so check out the Craftabelle line which offers projects like jewelry, accessories, greeting card kits, a wooden loom creation kit and more.

Image: Shutterstock.com