The Tradition of Rosca de Reyes

By Dr. Kimberly Selber

Anticipation. Who will get it? Will it be me? The knife slices smoothly around the ring, dividing the brightly decorated red, green, and white Rosca de Reyes—the colors of the Christmas holiday and the Mexican flag. The cake is served, and one guest exclaims - “It’s me! I found the baby Jesus.”

Rosca de Reyes, meaning kings wreath, is also known as three kings cake and is traditionally served on January 6th, the Feast of Epiphany. The word Epiphany comes from the Greek meaning appearance. In Mexico, it is also the day to receive presents. Epiphany is when the three wise men, searching for the ‘new king,’ found the baby Jesus and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

A popular Epiphany tradition in many cultures is hiding a tiny baby Jesus figure in a sweet, round cake. Searching for the baby imitates the Magi’s search for the new king hidden from King Herod. The round cake, or Rosca, represents a crown and God’s eternal, never-ending love.

So what happens if you find the baby Jesus in your slice of the Rosca? It means you owe your group a tamale meal on February 2nd, also known as Dia de la Candelaria or Candlemas Day. This day commemorates the purification of the Virgin Mary (a Jewish tradition following childbirth) and the presentation of Jesus at the Temple.

So while you may want to skirt hosting a tamale party, finding the baby is considered good luck, and in Spain, you would be crowned king for the day.

I will enjoy dancing again.

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Pharr Emergency Medical Services

As this year comes to an end, the City of Pharr is proud to reflect on its monumental efforts to take on the responsibility to address a gap in continuity of services by providing emergency medical services to Pharr and smaller communities in Hidalgo County. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pharr addressed the need to care for our most vulnerable populations by distributing vaccines to homebound elderly and disabled residents. When emergency medical services were in jeopardy, Pharr stepped up to create the new Pharr Emergency Medical Services Department to serve Pharr and surrounding areas. Since its creation, Pharr EMS has provided state-of-the-art equipment, resources, medical staff, training, and the highest level of services to Pharr and surrounding communities. Pharr EMS promotes a sense of responsibility, expanding services and sharing life-saving training activities, exercises, and resources for neighboring communities, schools, organizations, the media, and the general public. Pharr EMS is also recognized for its leadership on the local, regional, and state levels. Pharr EMS - serving our community and beyond! ACCOMPLISHMENTS

9,355

911 EMS Service Calls

5 Mins

Average Response Time American Heart Association Instructors • Basic Life Support • Pediatric Advanced Life Support • Cardiac Advanced Life Support National Association EMT Instructors • Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support • Emergency Pediatric Care • Geriatric Education for EMS • EMS Vehicle Operator Safety Stop the Bleed Instructors • Trained Over 1,000 People in Pharr Tactical Response • Medics Trained in Basic SWAT, Advanced

SWAT, & Tactical Casualty Combat Care • Deployed with Hidalgo County Sheriff’s

Office, DEA, HSI, CBP, & Texas DPS SWAT in missions covering all 4 RGV Counties

CARDIAC SAVE Medics received lifesaving commendation for successfully resuscitating a patient from Pharr from cardiac arrest - February 2022 BLUE STORK Medics received lifesaving commendation for assisting in the delivery of a healthy baby boy in Pharr - November 2022