Dia de Reyes In Iraq
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq - Imagine just two weeks after Christmas getting together with friends and family, singing songs, exchanging gifts and eating wonderful dishes. These traditions are common on Three King’s Day every year in Puerto Rico.

This year, Soldiers from the 130th Engineer Battalion, a National Guard unit from Puerto Rico, celebrated their festive holiday while deployed to Iraq Jan. 5.

Soldiers from the 130th Engineer Battalion, from Puerto Rico, celebrate Three Kings Day by dancing and singing festive songs at Camp Liberty, in Baghdad, Jan. 5. The traditional Puerto Rican holiday is filled with singing, dancing and eating. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. William Hatton, 7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)

Three King’s Day is a holiday that pays respect to the kings who visited Jesus Christ when he was born, said 1st Sgt. Juan Alicia, the top noncommissioned officer for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 130th Eng. Bn. One of the traditions of the holiday, Alicia said, is to place fresh cut grass and water underneath children’s bed.

When children wake up in the morning the three kings leave gifts under the bed, like the way Santa delivers presents, said Edwin Rancel, a native of Arecbo, Puerto Rico, with HHC, 130th Eng. Bn.

The grass and water is for the king’s camels, and the gifts given from the kings, to show their gratitude, he added.

“One thing to know about Puerto Ricans, is that from Thanksgiving Day to mid-January is one gigantic party,” Alicia said, a native of Caguas, Puerto Rico.

A fun custom that Puerto Ricans often observe is going door-to-door very early in the morning singing songs and playing instruments, said Spc. Jeremias Sanchez, HHC, 130th Eng. Bn.

“Being woken up by your friends isn’t always great, but the fun part is waking them up the same way the next morning,” he added.

“When you get visited by someone singing early in the morning, once they’re done you go with them to the next house,” said Alicia. “Sometimes a group will start with just a few people, but by the end of the singing and visiting with friends there will be like a hundred people with you.”

Food also plays a central part in the festivities, Alicia said.

“One of the biggest parts of the holiday is cooking great meals,” Alicia said. “We ordered 10 pigs from Germany so we could celebrate the holiday right.” Roasting pigs is a must during the festivities, he added.

As these Puerto Rican troops spend Three King’s Day away from home, efforts to make the holiday meaningful and fun are very important, said Sanchez, a native of San Sebastian, Puerto Rico.

With the festivities and traditional Puerto Rican food served, the Soldiers were able to take a break from the hardships of deployment and feel a little at home.

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