Mickey and Minnie Mouse are getting into the Three Kings Day celebration business this year.
Some 20 years ago I read an article on the cost and availability of the gifts carried by the Three Kings to the Baby Jesus.
Gold we know about, but Frankincense and Myrrh are somewhat of a mystery. Both are gum resin gathered by trees in Northern Africa.
The article stated that both frankincense and myrrh were available in New York City and I enlisted my New York City based son to shop for me at the location mentioned in the article.
Both resins are listed in the Encyclopaedia Britannica as used for incense in temples and were highly esteemed by the ancients.
I gave part of my stash to the Sunday School class in my church along with the encyclopaedia articles to further the children’s understanding of the Gifts of the Magi. I brought some to St. John where I would light the incense after dinner parties to remind some folks of their early church experiences.
On St. John, and especially in Puerto Rico, I saw evidence of Three Kings Day and read of its addition here to the Christmas festivities by Spanish-American residents.
Also, you might recall the 2010 Census question relating to identifying persons of Hispanic, Latin, or Spanish groups. The data collected showed that around 51 million Americans, or 16 percent of the population, are Hispanics.
Between 2000 and 2012 their numbers rose by around 55 percent, more than four times the growth rate of the general population. Hispanics are also younger on average than other Americans and are getting richer (The Economist, 12/15/12 issue, page 68).
I guess I should not have been surprised when I googled Three Kings Day that Disney is making it a three-day celebration commemorating the three-gift-giving kings. This will be at Disneyland, January 4 through 6, 2013. Caramba!