Let’s Leave Out the Shoes for the Three Kings

“They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary, his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Matthew 2:10-11

I spent my entire childhood between two countries who went all out for “El Día de los Reyes Magos” (Three Kings Day). My first seven years were in Cuba. Even though my parents were limited as to the amount of toys they could purchase due to the communist regime’s restrictions, somehow they managed to make the day very special. I have two specific memories. My parents were divorced, so I had stayed at my father’s house that year. I must have been six years old because my half-brother was still a baby. When I woke up in the morning, my father told me that the Three Kings had come, and they had hidden ten toys around the house, five for me and five for my brother. Finding those toys was very exciting. Then I went to my mother’s house, and there were a lot of toys spread out on top of the sofa. I honestly don’t know how they managed it. The most that the communist government allowed was three toys per child, a main one like a doll or a bicycle, and two smaller toys. I asked my mother recently how they managed to purchase the amount of toys that I received that year, which would turn out to be my last Three Kings’ Day in Cuba. She told me that there was a family in the neighborhood who had a lot of children, and they would either sell some of their toy coupons or exchange them for other goods. My grandmother, who was a seamstress, would sew dresses for their girls, and they would pay her with their toy coupons.

I spent the next five years in Spain, and once again, Three Kings Day was the highlight of the Christmas season. Santa Claus did not make it to Spain, so I had no idea who he was, but I did not care because the Three Kings were extremely generous and always brought me all I asked for. When I discovered that my parents were the ones that bought the toys, I was disappointed, but I realize now how blessed I was to have parents and grandparents who loved me so much that they were willing to sacrifice a lot for me to have such a special day.

After my kids were born, I tried to keep up with the tradition here in the United States. They did get the majority of their gifts on Christmas Day, but I still told them on the eve of Three Kings Day to leave out their shoes or the Three Kings would not leave them anything. I would explain to them that on this day, known as the Epiphany, the Three Wise Men known as Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar, arrived with gifts for baby Jesus. If they wanted the Three Kings to stop at our house with their camels, they had to leave their shoes by our Nativity set under the Christmas tree. Of course, they happily placed their shoes there, and the next day they would find that the Magi had left them either a reading or a coloring book, a puzzle, or some other small toy.

In Cuba or Spain, I did not leave out my shoes, but I learned about this tradition from Latin American friends. In Mexico, children leave out their shoes, and the family gathers to share the “Rosca de Reyes,” a sweet bread with a hidden figurine inside. The person that finds the figurine will have a good luck year according to their folklore tradition. In Puerto Rico, children fill boxes with grass or hay to offer the camels that arrive with the Magi. The box is a thoughtful gesture intended to entice the Magi into leaving them generous gifts. Children in Argentina place the grass or hay inside their shoes. These shoes are placed under the Christmas tree or by the door. Children also write letters to the Three Wise Men listing their wishes. Argentina, just like Mexico, has its own version of the sweet bread, known as the “Rosca de Reyes Trenzada” (braided king cake). It resembles a crown and is adorned with colorful candies.

In Spain, the “Cabalgata de Reyes” (Kings Parade) is very popular. It features majestic floats carrying effigies of Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar, respectively representing Arabia, the Orient, and Africa to show that different parts of the world are coming together to worship Jesus. In the city that I now call home, there are a lot of people from Latin America, so there will be a Three Kings Parade this coming weekend. And this past Sunday, a lot of our parishes had representations of the Three Kings during their masses.

We must remember to honor this day with our traditions, but more importantly, by keeping our Nativity sets out on display and not putting them away until after January 6th. The word “Epiphany” means “manifestation,” and the Christ Child was made manifest to the world. We need to look into our own hearts and allow ourselves to be transformed by Him. The memories of those celebrations back in Cuba and Spain will forever remain in my heart because they truly transformed me.

Copyright © 2026 Christy Romero. All rights reserved. If you thought of someone while reading this, bless them by sharing it with them.