Rosca De Reyes

Please read my blog in Novemeber titled "Dia De Los Muertos" before continuing to read this one. Yesterday's conversation with Pedro was similar, except I had never heard of the custom he was describing.

According to Pedro, every Jan.6th the peoples eat bread with "candies on top" complete with Jesus inside. The peoples who find the baby Jesus in their piece of bread will have good luck for one year. He continues to tell me that the peoples then put their shoes under the Christmas tree in hopes that the three wise men (from the bible, I'm gathering) will put toys or money in them.

I'm thinking to myself. Aren't the Holidays long enough with Thanksgiving extending into Christmas and then to drag it out until New Year's Day? Apparently not for the Mexicans, they really know how to party.

Pedro offers to take me to the Mexican Paneria to see the special bread. The paneria sounds fancy and European, but really it is a convenient store packed to the ceiling with plastic toys, pinatas, packaged food that doesn't look like food, Mexican cd's and an entire wall of calling cards. There is a line 20 people deep and I equate it to going to a florist on Valentine's day. The bread is stacked to the ceiling on the counter and comes in three different sizes and is not cheap. It looks like a french roll with a fruit cake twist. When I look closer to the toppings I ask, "are those onions and peppers on top?" I thought this sucker was supposed to be sweet. I had to buy one.

When I get home, Brandon won't even touch the foreign bread, which is okay by me because it means I have a 100% chance of having the good luck this year. ha ha SUCKER! Except, when I cut into it ,the first thing I notice is that I am actually attempting to cut the head off the tiny albino baby Jesus fetus. Do you suppose that is good luck?