McALLEN — Dia De Los Reyes, or Epiphany as it is known in some places, is celebrated by Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans and Christians around the world on Jan. 6. It is a day meant to honor the Three Wise Men, or the Three Kings, who were said to have visited the infant Jesus and brought him gifts.
The day marks the end of the Christmas season, and in McAllen, the end of another South Pole Illuminated Festival.
This year’s festival ended its run with a 104-foot rosca de reyes. The gigantic oval shaped sweet bread laid on top of a long table covered in a black tablecloth in front of the main entrance to the McAllen Convention Center.
A line of onlookers formed as the rosca, or wreath of the kings, was unveiled. They waited patiently for their chance to try a piece of the bread and see if there might be a hidden doll inside.
“The tradition is that you build a bread that consists of fruits, and it’s a Mexican pastry,” Felix Chavez, owner and operator of Junior’s Supermarket, said Thursday as the rosca de reyes was cut into pieces and distributed. “People gather around, and there is a hidden figure inside the bread. Whoever gets that piece of bread has to make a party for all the people that were there that day.”
The rosca de reyes is baked in an oval shape and made with dried fruits and icing on top. It is meant to symbolize a crown, and the baby doll that is hidden inside the cake is meant to represent the infant Jesus.
Whoever gets a piece of the rosca with the tiny figurine must host a party on Día de la Candelaria, in accordance with tradition.
The 104-foot rosca, said to be the largest in South Texas, had four hidden dolls baked inside.
“This is the third year that we make the rosca, and we’re at 104-feet,” Chavez said. “We’re going to try to break the record, so every year we’re increasing.”
Chavez said the rosca was baked in sections by Junior’s Supermarket bakers. Beatriz Pinton, a cake decorator, said she and her fellow bakers put in lots of hours over a two-day period in order to complete the large rosca.
“It was a long day working — almost the whole day there working,” Pinton said. “It took two days, day and night.”
Joseph Brzozowski, originally from Baltimore, Maryland but now living in Mission, attended the event with his wife, Luna.
“The event’s beautiful,” Joseph said. “It’s very nice, well organized, and I can’t wait ‘til it gets a little bit darker to see the lights.”
It was his first time attending the South Pole Illuminated Festival, but not his first time trying a piece of the rosca de reyes.
“I’m glad we didn’t get baby Jesus because I don’t think we could have a party for all these people,” Brzozowski joked. “It was delicious.”
The COVID-19 pandemic prevented Junior’s Supermarket from sharing a rosca last year, but Chavez said he was happy to be able to share one Thursday. He anticipated that the entire 104-foot cake would be gone by the end of the night.
“It’s just bringing people together, bringing families together, and keeping the traditions that we’ve been carrying for the longest time,” Chavez said. “It’s just a way of celebrating and ending the Christmas festivities.”
View Monitor photojournalist Joel Martinez’s photo gallery to see more of the rosca de reyes:
Photo Gallery: 104-foot rosca takes the cake at McAllen’s Dia De Los Reyes
