Arts & Culture | The Hill | Christmas | Puerto Ricans United, Inc.
Top: The Three Kings arrive to great fanfare on Sylvan Ave. Bottom: Attendees lined up awaiting the start of the festivities. Danielle Campbell Photos.
The children and their parents formed a line early on a cold Saturday morning at Casa Otoñal Community Center on Sylvan Avenue as if they were hoping to be the first in line to meet their favorite celebrity, or maybe a monarch, or three.
Organizers yelled for people to watch out while the children looked on eagerly as first a fire truck with sirens blaring came down the street, followed by a van and then another firetruck.
The excitement of the people in line began to stir as the van doors finally opened and three men, dressed in fine robes of teal blue, emerald green and rich purple emerged.
A king hands out treats to families in line as the make their way inside.
The Three Kings had arrived for the annual citywide celebration of Día de Los Reyes, or Three Kings Day, in the Hill neighborhood. The annual event commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ and the three wise men, or magi, who traveled for 12 days to present the infant with gifts. The event also marks the official end of the Christmas season. (Read more Arts Paper Three Kings coverage from the Hill here.)
Bearing gifts of their own, New Haven’s three kings handed out presents to a buoyant crowd.
“It's just a tradition that we've carried forward for many years,” Elmer Rivera Bello, president of Casa Otoñal, said. “And we celebrate it not only to keep our tradition alive, you know, it's part of our heritage, but it's also about community.
“It's about bringing the community together and sharing,” he added.
The Three Kings greeted babies, toddlers, young children and even teenagers and many excited adults once everyone entered the building. Attendees were then sent to the toy area to get their gifts as has been the tradition of the event.
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker was among the many politicos at the celebration.
The event was sponsored by Casa Otoñal Inc., PRU-Puerto Rican Festival of New Haven, the New Haven Hispanic Firefighters, The Ricardo Torres Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund. Toys were donated by the New Haven Health Department, the Connecticut Department Of Correction, Shubert Theatre, Boys & Girls Village Inc., Beyond Homecare, State Rep. Alphonse Paolillo, Julio Padilla/ The Kitchen, and many others.
Casa Otoñal Inc. President Elmer Rivera Bello and PRU President Joe Rodriguez.
“This is our seventh year, co-hosting with Casa, the Hispanic firefighters, and every year it just continues to grow, which is what we want to see,” PRU President Joe Rodriguez said. “We want this to be second to our festival, the largest cultural event in the city. And I think we're proving that today.”
Top: New Haven Hispanic Firefighters Association members. Bottom: The reigning Miss Connecticut Karla Aponte Roque helps families choose gifts.
Casa Otoñal has been celebrating the holiday in the Hill since the 1980s, but this year there was something new about the event – the van that ferried the three kings is that thing. It was unveiled Saturday and christened with a ribbon cutting. The van will provide much needed transportation for Casa Otoñal’s senior community and the community at-large.
Top: Newlyweds Carolos Navarro and Jacqueline Mendez. Bottom: The couple and the L&M Desserts crew.
Husband and wife Carlos Navarro and Jacqueline Mendez helped hand out sweet treats from L&M Desserts, which specializes in traditional Latin sweets. Both said they wanted to attend the event to support their Puerto Rican heritage and the community.
Erik Muñoz, who is from Ecuador, came to the event with three kids in tow. He said it was amazing to see how New Haven Puerto Ricans celebrate Dia de Los Reyes; he said Ecuadorians don’t celebrate it vibrantly as the Puerto Rican community does.
“They give out toys to the kids, so it's really nice for the community,” he said. “ We enjoy this day and also we spread it to other communities that the Three Kings Day is something nice, something beautiful for the kids and for adults.”