TAMPA, Fla. — Saturday, Latinos across the Tampa Bay area celebrated Three Kings Day, also known as Dia De Los Reyes.
An event at ZooTampa was sold out as 150 children pre-registered for the Three Kings Day and Toy Giveaway celebration hosted by State Representative Susan Valdes.
The event featured the Three Kings, who explained the reason for the celebration to the children. Dia De Los Reyes is a holiday celebrated by many in the Latino culture, celebrating the day the Three Kings came to visit Baby Jesus.
In many cultures, children collect grass the night before to leave for the camels and wake up to presents left behind by the Three Kings exactly 12 days after Christmas.
Families also got free food and toys on Friday night from the first Christmas festival on Three Kings Eve held at Ana G. Mendez University in Tampa. The food is catered by the local Puerto Rican bakery, La Bahia Bakery.
"As we have grown throughout the years, Tampa has become a melting pot," said Zuli Rodriguez of La Bahia Bakery. "It's beautiful to see all the cultures coming together and enjoying the love of the holidays and the joy."
According to the City of Tampa, Hispanics are now the majority-minority in the city, making up 26% of the population.
