East Harlem celebrates Latin culture with Three Kings’ Day Parade

For many in the Latin community, the holiday season is not officially over until Three Kings’ Day.

In East Harlem, one of the oldest Latino museum nonprofits in the country hosted its 48th annual parade Tuesday, with music, live animals, and 2,000 local students.

Three Kings’ Day remembers the Biblical story of the three wise men who visited Jesus at birth, bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Today, it is marked on the 12th night after Christmas by exchanging gifts, eating king cake (called “rosca de reyes” in some places) that may or may not contain a figurine of baby Jesus, and a community celebration.

El Museo del Barrio organizes the parade each January, kicking off a year full of programs at low-cost to New Yorkers. Organizers with the museum say commemorating the holiday is a way Latino New Yorkers can not only keep their ancestral traditions alive but to share them with others.

“For other people who are not in the Latino community to learn from them. And you see a lot of people that are not Latinos that are really enjoying, celebrating,” said Pamela Hernández Hower, the director of marketing and communications at El Museo del Barrio. “It’s a beautiful tradition that we want to make sure that future generations can know about it and celebrate and be proud of it.”

Parade participants included local schools, the NYC Civic Engagement Commission, and community groups like Batalá New York, an all-women, Black-led percussion ensemble that teaches an Afro-Brazilian style of drumming. 

“The one beautiful thing about Batalá is that we’re not all professional musicians. We have women and men with the other chapters around the world from all different walks of life that do all different types of things,” said Cynthia Carr-Johnson, one of the leaders of Batalá New York. “Some of them, this is the first time ever playing an instrument.”

This year’s parade honorees are New York City Councilwoman Diana Ayala, Univision anchor and reporter Jonathan Inoa, and Eddie Palmieri, the late Latin jazz musician and Harlem legend.

El Museo del Barrio currently has two exhibitions on display with entry frequently on a pay-what-you-can basis.

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