CAMDEN, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Camden residents celebrated Three Kings Day on Saturday at the North Camden Community Center. The holiday marks the end of the Christmas Holy Season with the Feast of the Epiphany.
Three Kings Day is the holiday at the end of the 12 days of Christmas called the Epiphany. Local teacher Maria Espinosa Jordan says it’s celebrated by Catholics, and that for many Hispanics, this holiday — not Christmas Day — is traditionally when gifts are given, as a symbol of the gifts given by the three wise men to baby Jesus.
“It was a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, good food,” Jordan explained. “We adapted the tradition of getting a little box, filling it with hay for the camels and putting it under our beds. Then at night, our parents would take the hay out and replace it with toys and you received your gifts on Three Kings Day.”
Jordan says Santa Claus still has a presence around the world. “I was raised in the Virgin Islands. So Santa would come by helicopter, as opposed to the sleigh,” she said.
Three Camden kings appeared to distribute gifts to the children. Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen pointed to the generosity of the community, saying they made sure there were lots of presents available for the kids.
“Our community is so diversified with so many incredible cultures. So we want all of our cultures to feel inclusive,” he said.
“And that's what's so awesome,” Jordan agreed. “When you learn to embrace the culture of other people, you grow and you find that we have a lot more in common than we have apart.”