My family and I are having a blast spending the holidays in El Salvador, but there is one huge thing I wished I was back in Los Angeles for: Reyes Magos or Three Kings Day. Why? Because it´s the first time ever that the Disneyland Resort will observe Three Kings Day as part of their celebration of holidays.
This, in my book, is huge and says so much about Disneyland´s commitment to embrace Latino families and the traditions we cherish. From January 6-8, 2012, not only will Disneyland commemorate such a beloved Latin American and Spanish tradition with special décor, food and entertainment, they will also include activities and crafts for children which will all be conducted bilingually in Spanish and English!
See why I´m SO bummed to miss this? It´s exactly what SpanglishBaby is all about and what we´ve been encouraging companies for the last three years to pay attention to: the needs of Latino, bicultural and bilingual families.
Three Kings Day/Día de los Reyes Magos at Disneyland
Here´s some of what I will be missing, but you don´t need to:
- The Three Kings Day celebration at Disneyland will be centered around Zócalo Park (Spanish for “Town Square”) in Frontierland. Walt Disney envisioned Frontierland as a showcase of America’s Western and Mexican heritage and this celebration will continue that vision.
- Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse will appear in Fiesta costumes and other characters will join them: The Three Caballeros: Donald Duck, Jose Carioca and Panchito.
- Entertainment highlights include folklorico dance along with musical performances by the Grammy-winning Mariachi Divas.
- Bilingual activity hosts will join children in face-painting, coloring, crown decorating and other activities.
- Special food carts will appear in Zócalo Park for the occasion, serving Three Kings Day treats. The seasonal menu at Rancho del Zócalo restaurant includes tamales and Mexican hot chocolate.
