What is Rosca de Reyes and why is it eaten on Jan. 6? (2024)

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What is Rosca de Reyes and why is it eaten on Jan. 6? ›

Rosca de reyes, or Kings Cake, is customly eaten on Jan. 6, or Dia de Reyes. The tradition of eating the bread 12 days after Christmas is based on beliefs in the Christian faith. Inside every rosca de reyes is a little plastic baby, symbolizing the newborn messiah.

Rosca de Reyes is eaten on Día de Reyes, or the Epiphany, each year. It's a tradition that came over from Spain to Mexico and eventually the southern states. It marks the day when, according to the Christian faith, the Three Wise Men following the star to Bethlehem arrived with gifts for baby Jesus.

Served on January 6th, in honor of the Epiphany or Día de Reyes in Mexico, this delectable bread commemorates the Three Wise Men, guided by the Bethlehem star, presenting gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the newborn Jesus.

Rosca de Reyes tends to be tender enough on day one but the sweet bread petrifies at a startling rate. The circular shape of Rosca de Reyes signifies God's infinite love and much like the rite of holy communion, eating the pastry represents communion with Christ.

Both Mexican hot chocolate and atole—a rich, warm drink made from corn—are traditional during Three Kings Day. Families feast on black beans and rice, slow-cooked meat like chicken or pork, and soups and salads that highlight traditional Mexican ingredients like yucca, nopales, and plantains.

If you find the baby Jesus in a slice you cut, you are responsible for making tamales and hosting a party on Día de la Candelaria, also known as the Presentation of Jesus Christ, a religious holiday held every February 2, based on the biblical story of Jesus being brought to the Temple for the first time.

Inside every rosca de reyes is a little plastic baby, symbolizing the newborn messiah. The plastic figures are typically provided on the side and added manually hidden in the bread by the customer, if bought from a bakery.

Inside one of the slices of this circular loaf of bread is a bite-size plastic toy baby meant to represent Jesus. The person who gets the slice with the inedible toy will owe his family or friends a tamales party on Dia de la Candelaría, which lands on February 2nd.

The Rosca holds plastic baby Jesus toys inside and whomever gets a baby Jesus in their slice, is responsible to host a dinner and/or serve tamales on February 2nd, Candlemas day. It is a really fun time for the family to endure the suspense of possibly getting a Jesus toy in your slice.

One of the key differences between Rosca de Reyes and a traditional King Cake is the type of pastry used. Rosca de Reyes is made with a sweet, buttery dough that is similar to brioche, while King Cake is made with a denser, richer dough that is more similar to a pastry.

Why is Baby Jesus inside the rosca? ›

The plastic figurine hidden in the rosca represents Baby Jesus. It is hidden in the Rosca de Reyes because it alludes to the biblical persecution suffered by the child along with his parents by King Herod.

Spanish conquistadors brought the tradition to Mexico, where it seamlessly blended with indigenous customs. The circular shape echoed the Aztec sun god Huitzilopochtli, the hidden bean representing a lost treasure, and the dried fruits mirroring the jewels offered to baby Jesus.

Candlemas, Christian festival on February 2 commemorating the occasion when the Virgin Mary, in obedience to Jewish law, went to the Temple in Jerusalem both to be purified 40 days after the birth of her son, Jesus, and to present him to God as her firstborn (Luke 2:22–38).

In early versions of Rosca de Reyes, the flour used to create the dough represented the staffs of the Magi. The sweet bread, the base of the cake, often enriched with eggs, represents the joy of the Christian community, and the candied fruits, with their vibrant colors, symbolize the jewels brought by the Magi.

Along with enjoying a delicious sweet bread, we always anticipated who would be the “lucky” ones to get baby Jesus in their rosca as Mexican bakeries usually add at least three plastic baby Jesus figurines baked into the bread.

Traditionally, all roscas have a little white plastic doll inside, that represents baby Jesus and the person who gets that little doll it is the lucky “winner/ organiser” for a tamaliza on February 2^nd.

Also, the shape of the rosca clearly alludes to the Magi's crown, as we will see with its decorations. The plastic figurine hidden in the rosca represents Baby Jesus. It is hidden in the Rosca de Reyes because it alludes to the biblical persecution suffered by the child along with his parents by King Herod.

Remember, finding the baby inside the king cake not only makes you a “king,” but it also comes with some responsibilities. If you are so fortunate to find the baby in your slice of cake, you will be responsible for hosting the next Mardi Gras celebration and providing the next king cake!

Along with enjoying a delicious sweet bread, we always anticipated who would be the “lucky” ones to get baby Jesus in their rosca as Mexican bakeries usually add at least three plastic baby Jesus figurines baked into the bread.