The story behind the Three Kings

Today is one of the most anticipated dates for our little ones, who woke up early to see their gifts. It is one of the traditions that we remember most fondly, but do you know the story of the Three Kings?

Three Kings Day is a special date for both children and adults, who we relive with our children or nephews, that illusion of waking up the next day and discovering if the Kings had brought us what we asked for. This tradition has its origin in the Catholic religion.

Father José de Jesús Aguilar Valdés, assistant manager of Radio and Television of the Archdiocese of Mexico, explained that on January 6^th, the Catholic religion celebrates Epiphany, a Greek word that means manifestation, this celebration recalls when some wise men from the East, guided by the Star of Bethlehem, came to worship Baby Jesus.

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Do the Three Kings (Wise Men) appear in the Bible?

The Gospel by Saint Matthew only mentions that “some wise men from the East,” guided by a star, came to Jerusalem to worship the newborn King and offer him gifts.

“When the kings arrived in Jerusalem, they thought that the born king would be in Herod’s palace. To assassinate the child, Herod asked them to look for him and come back to tell him where he was and go to worship him. But in dreams, they were warned not to return to Herod.”

Father José de Jesús Aguilar Valdés

The priest explained that the Three Kings represent all humanity; therefore, they are of different skin tones.

Who are the Magic Kings Melchor, Gaspar, and Baltazar?

• Melchor: He is a bearded, white, older man, represents the Europeans, and offers Baby Jesus gold.
• Gaspar: he is the one with the brown hair and beard who represents the Asians; he gave incense. His name means “treasure manager”.
• Baltazar: he is represented with a dark complexion representing Africa and gave the child myrrh. His name means “the one who protects the king”.

What do the gifts of the Three Wise Men mean?

Father Aguilar Valdés commented that kings were honored with gold; incense was used in temples and means that people accepted that the newborn child was God; while myrrh was used to embalm the dead, so it represented that the child “was god and king, but he became a man to die for humanity”.

How do we know the name of the Three Wise Men?

Although the name of the Kings is not mentioned in the Bible, in a mural of the sixth century in Ravenna, Italy, the Wise Men’s names appear, Melchor, Gaspar, and Baltazar. From there, it is thought that their names spread, and with the expansion of Christianity, the arrival of the Wise Men became a tradition.

According to the Complutense University of Madrid, in the early years of Christianity, in the Catacombs of Rome, works began to appear in which the three Kings were represented.

The fourth Wise Man

A legend indicates that Artaban, a Persian king, would join Melchor, Gaspar, and Baltazar to meet Baby Jesus; however, on his way, he stopped to help a homeless man, and he was delayed.

Arriving at Borsippa, in Mesopotamia, where it is believed that he would meet his three traveling companions, he found that they had departed. He continued his trip, but when he arrived in Jerusalem, people informed him that Baby Jesus was no longer there, nor did he locate Melchor, Gaspar, or Baltazar.

He witnessed the execution that Herod ordered against children under two years of age; Artaban, to prevent a Roman soldier from murdering a little boy, offered the guard a diamond. This was the reason why he was imprisoned for 30 years. The legend of Artaban was spread by the theologian Henry van Dyke, in a story from the 19th century entitled “The Other Wise Man”.

Did you like the story of the Three Wise Men? Get together with your little one and tell it to him so that this tradition remains.

Translated by: Ligia M. Oliver Manrique de Lara

Spanish version