This Wednesday the territory will observe Three Kings Day, with all government agencies officially closed for the holiday. Celebrated 12 days after Christmas, the holiday—also known as Dia de los Reyes Magos—is often viewed as the last day of the Christmas season.
“I invite all Virgin Islanders to unite with family and friends in observance of this important Christmas holiday, a tradition celebrated around the world," Gov. John deJongh Jr. said in a statement from Government House.
Traditionally, Three Kings Day is also known as the feast of the Epiphany, on which day children receive Christmas season gifts. It is said that if a child has been good for the past year, he or she will receive candies, sweets or toys. A major holiday in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and much of Latin America, it has long been an important celebration in the U.S. Virgin Islands, too, especially among its people of Latin heritage.
Rather than getting presents from Santa Claus on Christmas day, children get presents from the three wise kings who, according to Christian tradition, brought gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus 12 days later.
"You put a shoe box under your bed with some grass in it and the three kings would come and take the grass for their camels and leave presents for the kids," recalled Frederiksted’s George Flores, who came to St. Croix from Vieques, Puerto Rico, as a small child. Some families still keep up the practice, but it is not as prevalent here as in Puerto Rico, he said.
Elizabeth Pichardo, a resident of Christiansted with roots in the Dominican Republic, recalls celebrating the same way.
"We would put a little pot of grass by the door, with a glass of water and actually a cigarette, I think because of the camel cigarette brand and camels," she said. "I’m not sure why. I was a child and that is what I thought, but we would put the grass, the water and a cigarette in a corner by the door and in the morning the next day, that is when we got presents."
In years past on St. Croix, the Christmas Festival children’s parade was held the day before, and the adult parade was called the Three Kings Day Parade. More recently, the adult parade has been held on the closest Saturday before or on the actual holiday, and the traditional celebration has faded in significance. But here and there throughout the Virgin Islands, children are putting aside a bit of grass for the camels and anxiously awaiting morning. Churches will be holding special services, and there will be a walk Wednesday morning from Bassin Triangle through Christiansted to commemorate the day.