Dia de los Reyes

While most of you are getting back into your post holiday routines, here on the island we are still in party mode. Today is 3 kings day. El dia de los Reyes is one of our most important holidays. All the islands children spent last night finding boxes and filling them with hay, so the camels would have something to eat when the 3 kings dropped off a whole plethora of gifts. Los Reyes trump santa here on the island.

Nothing goes back to normal until January 12th, when at long last kids go back to school and people go back to work and the holiday season is officially over. It's a damn long holiday season. We start the party on Thanksgiving and almost 2 months later it ends.

The holiday season is filled with traditions, fabulous food and wonderful music. For some it's a highly spiritual time, there are midnight masses, re-enactments, and candle lit processions. For others (like me) it's the food and drink and music that fills me with awe. I have eaten more roast pork in the last 2 months than I did all year. I drank coquito (our rum laced coconut eggnog) and moonshine, oh baby, you haven't lived until you drink our moonshine, it's smooth, fruity and ever so deadly, gotta love that in your holiday beverages. And the music, incredible Christmas carols that have been sung for generations, some spiritual, others just joyful.

So today while you go about your average day, I'll be checking out my hay filled box for baubles left by the 3 kings, eating roast pork, and drinking moonshine, all the while listening to los troubadours sing farewell to this holiday season. Feliz dia de los Reyes.