Disneyland Resort celebrates the holidays in Latin-style with “Disney ¡Viva Navidad!”. The grand finale is a commemoration of the Three Kings Day/Día de Reyes from Jan. 3-6, 2014.

As we shared with you when the  ¡Viva Navidad! celebrations started last month, we’ve been extremely excited by the way our culture is being interpreted for our kids to immerse themselves in it. From the fabulous Street Party with Mojiganga puppets, mariachi and samba music, folkloric dancers and the Three Caballeros and Mickey and Minnie in festive attire, to the Latin-inspried food, shows and crafts for kids.

For Día de Reyes, Paradise Pier at Disney’s California Adventure Park invites guest to come and celebrate this special celebration observed mainly by Catholics, but that has become a traditional celebration across Latin America and carried on by Latinos around the world.

Kids will find booths for face painting, arts, crafts and to take special pictures con Melchor, Gaspar y Baltazar.

The Three Caballeros go all out to celebrate Disney ¡Viva Navidad! and kids can have fun decorating these special crowns.

The menu for the celebration takes on some of the favorite Latin dishes. We all raved about the pozole and you can check out how to make it in this video.

We interview Susana Tubert, one of the Disney creatives behind the whole ¡Viva Navidad! concept, to tell us more about how families can celebrate el Día de Reyes Magos at Disneyland Resort.

We also got to chat with Cristian León, Disneyland Resort spokesperson, with Micky, Minnie, a giant mojiganga and folkloric dancers adding the fiesta to our video.

For more videos, pictures and information on Disney’s ¡Viva Navidad! celebration, check out Disneyland.com/Holidays and  our full coverage below:

Disneyland’s Pozole Recipe for Día de Reyes Magos

Disney’s ¡Viva Navidad! Street Party Celebrates Latino Culture and Language

Sneek Peek at Disney’s ¡Viva Navidad! Street Fiesta

La Navidad is Coming to Disneyland Resort: Disney ¡Viva Navidad! 

Disneyland’s Latino-Style ¡Viva Navidad! Street Party: 5 Reasons Why It’s a Must-See

Can it be true? Can Disneyland Resort really be creating a special 8-week long celebration in “inspired by the warmth and joyous spirit of the Latino culture, filled with holiday traditions, jubilant dancing and exciting music”. ¡Así es!

We live so close to Disneyland Resort and are lucky enough to visit the parks many times per year and are always happy to see things like their Día de Muertos altars or Reyes Magos celebrations, but in some way it’s never quite enough. So you can imagine lo felices que estamos that Disney announced today “Disney ¡Viva Navidad!” from November 15, 2013 to January 6th, 2014 in Disney California Adventure Park.

From their announcement:

“Disney ¡Viva Navidad!” is a merry celebration inspired by the warmth and joyous spirit of the Latino culture, filled with holiday traditions, jubilant dancing and exciting music. Based in and around the Paradise Garden area of Disney California Adventure, the special activities include crafts and face-painting for children, live Latino music, dance lessons, holiday foods, a “Disney ¡Viva Navidad! Street Party” and, of course, appearances by some popular Disney characters.

The grand finale of “Disney ¡Viva Navidad!” will be the special celebration of Three Kings Day (Día de los Reyes) Jan. 3 through 6, 2014 in Paradise Garden. We will for sure not miss that one!

To read the full announcement with more details on the Latino-centered celebrations, visit the Disneyland News blog.

What do you think about this announcement? Do you want to go to “Disney ¡Viva Navidad!”?

Editor’s note: We continue with our 31 Days of Reading in Spanish. Check out the book review below and don’t forget to enter our weekly GIVEAWAY of $100 worth of books in Spanish!

BOOK DESCRIPTION/REVIEW

Our family is in full summer swing – weekends at the beach, bedtimes stretched until the sun goes down. But nothing makes me long for Christmas like a book my in-laws gave me a few years ago, Los Reyes Magos de Oriente.

The book tells the familiar story of the three wise men, and how they discovered a shining star that beckoned for them to follow it “across the world,” as Lluis Farre writes. What’s unique about this book is its beautiful rhyme, in addition to the illustrations. The elaborate pop-up pictures feature Moorish architecture interspersed with scenes from the desert.

Go ahead and put it on your Amazon Wish List. Get it for Christmas, read it through Three King’s Day, and hope the kids don’t pull too hard on the pop-ups so that you can read it for years to come.

    BOOK DETAILS

    Title: Los Reyes Magos de Oriente

    Author: Lluis Farre

    Illustrator: Merce Canals

    Age group: 3-5 years

    Publisher/Year: Combel Editorial/ 2008

    ISBN: 978-8498253696

    Price: $15.55 on Amazon.com

We are so excited to celebrate Reyes Magos. Since moving our family from West to East Coast, I have taken great efforts to show our kids the importance of cultural religious beliefs I grew up with.

This year we plan to write letters to los Reyes, stuff them in our stockings and await for their arrival with lots of treats

With that a celebration is in order so we decided to make a rosca for the first time this year and we will all be in style with our own Reyes Magos Crowns!

Today the kids and I created our own felt Reyes Magos crowns.  They chose the colors and decor. It is a really great activity to do as a family.

To make some crowns for your Reyes Magos celebration here is what you will need:

1-Felt sheet 8.5×11 works best

2-Tacky Glue

3-Decorations for your crown we used poms

4-A pen or marker in similar shade as felt

5-Scissors

Let’s get started!

1- Fold your felt in half  ”hot-dog style” With the opening to the top create your crown. We started in the middle by starting a triangle and zig-zag style until we liked our design.

2-Cutting on the markings you made  you should have your desired design. Cut along the bottom to make 2 equal parts.

3-Glue one flap over another wait for it to dry. Measure around the child’s  head and mark it.

4-Glue the flap and wait for it to dry.

5-Once dry, cut off any excess that may be uneven on design.

6-Decorate with your kids the more decoration the more magical they become!

 Now you are in style and ready for the celebration!!!

On a recent trip to Tijuana, I got my daughter Vanessa a wall calendar in Spanish. Since we just got back home from a holiday trip, we only put it up yesterday. Immediately, she saw the little drawing on the calendar marking el Día de los Reyes Magos and she realized it was right around the corner. On Sunday, Jan. 6 to be exact. I, of course, panicked because although I have a couple of books I kept over from Christmas, my kids’ stockings are completely empty.

I know that many Latino kids who celebrate Reyes do so by leaving grass inside a box for the Three Kings’ camels as well as a shoe at the foot of their beds for the gifts they will bring them. At least that was how my Puerto Rican husband celebrated and, in fact, he remembers that the gifts he got for Reyes were usually much bigger and better than the ones he got for Christmas. I guess their Reyes celebration was more in tune with the Spanish version than mine.

For my siblings and I, it was different. We used to get our gifts in our stockings and they were usually minor things, like lots of candy and very small toys. Stuff that could fit in our stockings, I guess. Anyhow, as I mentioned, yesterday I was reminded that my kids stockings are empty, so this morning I rushed to Walmart to get them some last minute gifts to fill them up. The idea was for me to see how many things I could get for them under $10 for a total amount of $50. And boy did I score big!

I’ve always gotten really good deals at Walmart, but I guess I didn’t realize how much I could get for $50.

Check out the list of last minute Reyes Magos gifts I was able to get under $10:

For Vanessa:

1. Strawberry Shortcake DVD (with Spanish track!)
2. Mini Colorado snow globes (she collects them)
3. Rapunzel (her favorite Disney princess right now) placemat
4. Mini activity book with stickers
5. Sea life glitter stickers (for a project she’s working on with sea shells she’s collected from beaches in different states/countries)
6. Candy & a silly mini spinner with lights

Ana’s note: The holidays are still going strong in our households as we await la llegada de los Reyes Magos! Last week we brought you a recipe for a yummy Rosca de Reyes and today we asked Ruby to share with us another cute Reyes Magos craft since the one she did for us last year was such a hit! She went to Walmart for all her supplies to create with her two kids this super cute, simple and affordable Reyes Magos Felt Board Finger Puppets. 

To create your own you will need:

1-Tacky Glue

2-Felt in at least 8 colors*

3-Template- download below

4-Markers that will stay on felt; usually all permanent markers work

5-Scissors

6-A frame(We got ours at Walmart for less than $5)

7- One or two felt pieces measuring the width of your frame for felt board background*

* We purchased a 12pk of multi-colored felt at Walmart for less than $3

Let’s get started!

1-Download, print and cut out the pieces to your template

2-Start with the body. You will need 6 pieces 2 for each king. Use 3 different felt colors one for each king.

3-Add glue to one part of the body only around the edge but not on the bottom leaving room to insert finger once dried.

4-Cut the face out using a skin colored felt. Glue face and add a face using your markers. Repeat two more times.

5-Cut a beard using the template and adhere around the face of your king. Repeat 2 more times.

6-Add a hair piece to 2 kings. 1 king will need a different colored hair piece that will become a turbin for his crown. Do the same for the crowns and adhere.

Wait for them to dry and Done!

Felt Board Frame:

We can’t take credit for this awesome idea we found on pinterest. Using an 8×10 frame from Walmart we used felt to create a scenery. We placed the felt pieces then the glass and the backing of the frame. It makes the perfect Felt Board !

Use your Reyes Mago Felt Board Finger Puppets to tell the story of the Tres Reyes Magos. Kids will be sure to enjoy this Reyes Magos craft!

Find more Día de los Reyes Magos inspiration on our Pinterest board!

Disclosure: We are thankful to Walmart for their sponsorship of SpanglishBaby.

Ana’s note: One of the things I love most about embracing different Latin American holidays is the abundance and creativity of the variety of foods associated with the celebrations. Bread seems to be a common theme in Mexican traditions and it’s never lacking symbolism.

On January 6th — the official last day of the holiday festivities — we celebrate el Día de los Reyes Magos (Three Kings Day) across Latin America and Spain. In Mexico the tradition includes family and friends gathering to eat a Rosca de Reyes and seeing who will get the piece with the Niño Jesus inside and get the honor to host them all to a feast of tamales on February 2nd for el Día de la Candelaria.

The rosca is always circular because to the Catholics it represents God’s infinite love. The candied fruit and other decorations on the rosca symbolize the earthly distractions that distract us from God and the muñequito buried in the bread is meant to represent the 3 Kings search for the baby Jesus.

To join in the celebration, we asked our The Culture of Food main contributor and food blogger extraordinaire, Ericka Sanchez, to share with us her family’s Rosca de Reyes recipe using ingredients she found at Walmart. 

Recipe for a Traditional Rosca de Reyes

(Serves 6)

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour

1 package active dry yeast

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon

¼ cup milk, room temperature

3 ½ tablespoons (or ½ stick) butter

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup candied cherries, chopped

¼ candied pineapple, chopped

¼ cup dried figs, chopped

¼ pecans, chopped

¼ cup dark rum

For garnish

1 egg

2 tablespoons water

dried cherries

candied orange peel*

candied lime peel*

*If you have a hard time finding candied citrus peel, check out this recipe  on Ericka’s blog to make it yourself.

Instructions

In a small bowl place candied cherries, pineapple, figs and rum.  Soak for 20 minutes. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl place flour, yeast, salt, sugar and cinnamon and whisk until all dry ingredients have been combined.

Add egg, butter, vanilla extract, milk, chopped cherries, pineapple, figs and the rum they were soaking in.  Mix well with a wooden spoon then knead by hand and form a large dough ball.

Cover the bowl containing dough with plastic wrap, set it in a warm place and let the dough rise for approximately 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit

In a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a large tube shape and connect ends.  Forming a ring.

Insert plastic baby figurine anywhere in the underside of the dough ring.

In a small bowl mix 1 egg and 2 tablespoons of water to make egg wash. Cover a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Carefully place dough ring on tray and brush egg wash all over dough.

Decorate with candied cherries and citrus peels.

Bake for 45 minutes or until dough is golden.

If you’re looking for more Rosca de Reyes recipes, you can visit Walmart on Facebook and check out the one they shared.

Disclosure: We are thankful to Walmart for their sponsorship of SpanglishBaby.

Last week my family and I were lucky enough to be invited to see for ourselves the transformation the Disneyland Resort goes through to celebrate the holidays. Simply put, it’s magical and the festive holiday feeling is all around you. In true Disney style, no detail is spared and the result is the feeling that the holidays are here.

We were there just for one day, so we focused on seeing and doing as much of the special holiday attractions and shows at both Disneyland and California Adventure as we could, but it’s definitely not easy to do in one day. Even so, we took in as much as possible and even got some beautiful family pictures with our PhotoPass.

If you’re planning on checking out Disneyland Resort during the holidays, here are 5 must-do’s you should plan for your visit before Jan. 6, 2013.

1. “A Christmas Fantasy Parade” – Children just adore the Disneyland parades and this one is extra special because it features Santa Claus and many special holiday characters like tin soldiers, snowflake faries, dancing reindeers and more. Of course, all the favorite Disney Princesses, Mickey, Minnie and other characters make an appearance as well.

2. “Believe…In Holiday Magic” fireworks show happens every night during the holiday season and it’s the grandest spectacle of them all, culminating with a swirling snowfall. The show bursts with holiday magic and celebrates the best of this season in true splendor.

3. Cars Land in California Adventure has been decorated to the T with fun holiday details all along Route 66. Tires hang as wreaths all throughout Radiator Springs and each address along Route 66 has been decorated with whimsical and very unique touches.

4. “it’s a small world” holiday will have you singing-out-loud to Jingle Bells while you visit with the children of many nations as they celebrate their special holiday traditions. Our favorite, of course, was the area that features Mexico and Latin America because it was just bursting with color and life.

5. A lazy stroll down Buena Vista Street in California Adventure will allow you to take in all the many holiday details that have been added to this street that was inspired by the 1920′s Los Angeles that Walt Disney arrived to. It’s adorned by a 50-foot tall Christmas tree that’s decorated with vintage ornaments and beautiful lights.

Aside from those attractions, you should also make sure you get a free PhotoPass and take advantage of the many opportunities you’ll get to have a high-quality picture taken of you and your whole family with many fabulous backgrounds. You never know if that could end up being your favorite holiday picture!

We’re also very excited that Disneyland will once again celebrate Three Kings Day/Día de los Reyes Magos next year from Jan, 4-6 in Fronteirland. This is such a special occasion to show your child the foods, special decor, and traditions surrounding this Latino holiday we love to embrace.

Read: Disneyland Celebrates Three Kings Day…and we were there!

To check out a slideshow of our favorite Disneyland Resort holiday activities, go here.

For more information and details about the holidays at Disneyland Resort, visit www.Disneyland.com

I’m Latina and I’m Catholic. Can you believe that we never celebrated Three Kings Day? A Puerto Rican and Ecuadorian family with no Reyes?

In fact, it wasn’t until I worked at the Bronx Museum that I learned all about the beauty of this day and how it is celebrated throughout Latin America. Every year during the holidays we hosted multi-cultural art workshops for the families in the community. I remember thinking “Wow, this is something I want to do with my child one day.”

Sure enough, I kept to that word. We do something a little different each year, a bit low key but we do acknowledge this tradition in our home. We read a book about the birth of Christ, I make a special dinner and we put shoes out by the bed. Every year the Reyes give my son a special nutcracker that represents his year. For example, this year he took a cooking class, so his nutcracker was a chef! Yesterday we went a little further into the celebration by going to Disneyland!

This is the first time Disneyland observes Three Kings Day. Oh, and what a celebration it is! As soon as my son and I entered Zocalo Park in Frontierland, we heard music and saw the most beautiful dancers twirling in colors of fuscia, orange and blue.

Sweet corn tamales, face painting and dancing are just a few things taking over Disneyland Park. Even Mickey and Minnie were in their Fiesta best attire.

Donald Duck tapped into his latino spirit and greeted visitors with his amigos, Panchito and Jose Carioca. The Three Caballeros gave out lots of hugs and posed for pictures. 

My tween son looked over to me and said “You know life is great when you hear children laughing.” True, indeed. He and I had a great time together. He especially loved the dancers and the Mariachi Divas. They even sang “Cielito Lindo”, a song I used to sing to him when he was a baby. He still remembers.

Back to not having celebrated this day growing up – As a mother, it’s been a lot more fun to learn and explore the richness of our culture together with my son. I wouldn’t have it any other way. If you’d like to learn more about celebrating Three Kings at Disney, check out Disneylandia al Día. There’s still time. Celebrations are taking place right now and it ends tomorrow at midnight!

California residents can now enjoy both parks with a 2-day ticket for only $99.00. Click HERE and enter your zip. Offer runs from Jan. 4 to June 9, 2012

Share: Have you attended or plan to attend the Reyes Magos celebration at Disneyland? If so, please share with us here and/or upload a picture to our Facebook wall.

{© SpanglishBaby 2012}

Editor’s note: This post is my contribution to Spanish Friday.

De niña siempre celebré Reyes Magos, pero la verdad es que no me acuerdo haber comido rosca, aunque seguramente lo hice por lo menos los años que viví en México D.F.

Lo que sí me acuerdo es dejar un zapato al pie de mi cama el 5 de enero y levantarme el 6 y encontrar caramelos y juguetes chiquitos dentro del zapato.

Mi esposo es de Puerto Rico y allá él recuerda haber celebrado Reyes mucho más que Santa en Navidad. Es más, él me cuenta que los regalos más grandes los recibía en Reyes y que en Navidad era algo más simbólico. Aunque las cosas están cambiando en Puerto Rico también, en la isla aún celebran esté día en grande con desfiles, música y celebraciones de todo tipo.

Pero la mejor celebración de Reyes que he tenido la suerte de presenciar fue en Barcelona hace 6 años. Estuve buscando el video para compartirlo, pero no pude encontrarlo por ningún lado. Tal vez para el próximo año. Mi esposo y yo pasamos el Año Nuevo en Holanda y después nos fuimos a España donde tuvimos la suerte de estar el 6 de enero. Yo tenía unas 6 ó 7 semanas de embarazo con Vanessa.

Me acuerdo que el 5 de enero – cuando se celebra la bajada de los Reyes – era un día frío y lluvioso, pero eso no impidió que miles de personas se juntaran cerca al puerto y en las zonas aledañas para ver llegar a los Reyes que vinieron en velero y después desfilaron por la ciudad a caballo. Recuerdo que los niños estaban felices de verlos y que todos llevaban sus listas para poder entregárselas.

Algún día espero poder llevar a mis hijos a vivir está experiencia.

¿Cuál es tu mejor recuerdo de Reyes?