MAYOR RUDOLPH W. GIULIANI CELEBRATES THREE KINGS DAY
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today hosted a reception in City Hall's Public Hearing Chamber to celebrate Three Kings Day, the Latin American celebration that remembers the three Biblical wise men -- Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar -- who brought gold, frankincense and myrrh to the infant Jesus in Bethlehem. Traditionally, children in Latin America and of Latin American descent receive gifts on Three Kings Day rather than Christmas Day.
Joining the Mayor for the DĦa de Reyes celebration were Deputy Mayor Ninfa Segarra, Goya Foods Executive Vice-President Joseph Unanue Jr., Primitive Christian Church's Reverend Marcos Rivera, and State Senator EfraĦn Gonz lez, Jr.
"Three Kings Day is of central importance in Latin America and, by extension, to the many New Yorkers from these parts of the world, most of whom now celebrate Three Kings Day along with Christmas," said Mayor Giuliani. "New York City presents so many opportunities for us to learn about one another, and, in the process, to learn about ourselves. When immigrants come here, they generously bring their traditions, which they share, enriching the City and its people.
"New Yorkers who aren't from Latin America might learn, for instance, that in anticipation of Three Kings Day, children put grass and water under their beds the night before to welcome the camels, in the hopes that the Three Kings will be generous. We should all let the reverence and splendor of the Three Kings, and the love that this holiday symbolizes, carry over into the rest of 1998, and beyond," the Mayor concluded.
At the reception, the Mayor, Mr. Unanue, and the Three Kings, dressed in costumes provided by El Museo del Barrio, handed out gifts to 40 children. Performers included The TrĦo New York Band, Grupo Real, and soloist Caridad Torres, who is a resident of Patterson Houses, New York City Housing Authority.
Gifts for the children were provided by the City's Community Assistance Unit, and the Human Resources Administration. Goya Foods, Inc. provided all the food for the reception.
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