HARTFORD CELEBRATES THREE KINGS DAY

---NEWS AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION---

(January 4, 2007)--- Hartford Mayor Eddie A. Perez invites you to enjoy the Three Kings Day celebration in the Capital City on Saturday, January 6^th.  SAMA (Spanish American Merchants Association) sponsors the festivities and thousands of people are expected to attend.  The parade begins at 10:00 a.m. at 95 Park Street and will end at the Pope Park Recreation Center in the City’s Frog Hollow neighborhood.

Mayor Perez says, “This is a wonderful time for families to get together and enjoy culture and pageantry as the Holiday Season comes to a close.”

Three Kings Day is celebrated on January 6^th, twelve days after Christmas.  It is often viewed as the end of the “12 Days of Christmas.”

Also known as The Epiphany, Three Kings Day (Dia de los Reyes) is a Christian celebration that commemorates the Biblical story of the Three Kings who followed the star of Bethlehem to bring gifts to the Baby Jesus.  According to the Biblical story, the Three Kings--- Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar--- presented Baby Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Mayor Perez will be marching in the Hartford celebration.  This year, the Three Kings will be played by:  Police Chief Daryl K. Roberts, Alfonso Lopez, owner of El Gitano Supermarket, and Fernando Betancourt of the Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission.

Hartford Public Schools will observe Three Kings Day on Friday, January 5^th.  No classes will be in session.