Rosca de Reyes

Three kings bread is a very tasty and colorfully decorated bread adorned with candied fruit and a sugary topping and with a tiny plastic figurine baked into it. In Mexico, this bread brings friends and families together for the annual Three Kings celebration on the January 6. It is one of the most important festivities because it represents the day Jesus became known to the world. The Church recognizes it as one of the most important celebrations. This particular bread was brought by the Spaniards as one of the religious traditions that they instilled in the pre-Hispanic lands. 

Traditionally, the bread was round, but it is most often oval nowadays. In the old days, a candy or fava bean was hidden inside. It is believed that this was a representation of people wanting to hide and protect Jesus. Unfortunately, many people swallowed them by mistake, so the tradition changed to have a figurine inside. The first ones were made out of plaster or porcelain; but now, plastic figurines are used. The nativity scene is supposed to be removed on January 6, and those who find the figurine (baby Jesus) become a sort of guardian who will take care of him until February 2, when they dress him up for the Candlemas celebration. It is a day of feasting, and those who got the figurines must treat all those whom they shared the bread with to a traditional fiesta of tamales and atole.