Even today, as an adult, I still get moved when I listen to the Christmas carols we sang when I was little. Northern Argentina is full of traditions around Christmas and the last one, celebrated today, January 5th, is very special for many children, as it was for me. Namely, something magical is going to happen tonight.
I remember my brother, sister and I putting our own pairs of shoes under the Christmas tree, going out to get grass and putting water bowls for the camels who would be very hungry and thirsty as they traveled from the other side of the world to bring gifts to us and other children in Argentina. When we woke up the next morning, there were gifts on top of them waiting for us.
A magical moment on the night between the 5th and 6th of January that every child in Argentina looks forward to. Then the three Reyes magos, wise kings, Melchor, Gaspar and Baltazar come to bring another Christmas present. The tradition is based on a biblical story where three wise kings follow the star to Bethlehem and bring gifts to the baby Jesus.
Me and my siblings tried to stay awake for a long time, or at least that's how we remember it. Mom told me later that we fell asleep pretty soon anyway. We didn't want to sleep because we wanted to see what these kings looked like, what wonderful glittering clothes these three wise men were wearing and what the camels were like and how they fit in our little house.
Creating magical moments around Christmas is part of childhood, and it is precisely these wonderful moments and traditions that many of us remember as adults. Today, January 5th, many children are still trying not to fall asleep, and tomorrow, when they wake up, they will rush to the Christmas tree and see with joy how all the grass and water have been eaten and drunk, and they will eagerly open that one more gift.
I also remember often thinking when I was little that if even the poorest children could get a gift... there were several children in our neighborhood who were very poor and beggars. I often wonder if other poor children even have a home to go to for Christmas...how would they even have a Christmas tree?
I know that many parents made great sacrifices so that their children would wake up to a pleasant surprise, as my parents did sometimes when times were hard.
Magical moments belong to everyone.
On January 6, we eat Rosca de Reyes (wise men's bun), a round cake made of bun dough and topped with thick cream. It is eaten while removing all the Christmas decorations.
Here in Finland, the Christmas tree is thrown away and the Christmas decorations are packed in boxes. So if you want to try ending Christmas with a lovely Argentinian flavor, here is the recipe for our Rosca de Reyes.
Rosca de Reyes Argentina
In Argentina, it is a tradition to eat Rosca de Reyes every January 6 to celebrate Three Kings Day. They have a special way of making it which is very simple and in the end the result is delicious and very striking. Let's see how this Argentinian Rosca de Reyes is made.
I remember my brother, sister and I putting our own pairs of shoes under the Christmas tree, going out to get grass and putting water bowls for the camels who would be very hungry and thirsty as they traveled from the other side of the world to bring gifts to us and other children in Argentina. When we woke up the next morning, there were gifts on top of them waiting for us.
A magical moment on the night between the 5th and 6th of January that every child in Argentina looks forward to. Then the three Reyes magos, wise kings, Melchor, Gaspar and Baltazar come to bring another Christmas present. The tradition is based on a biblical story where three wise kings follow the star to Bethlehem and bring gifts to the baby Jesus.
Me and my siblings tried to stay awake for a long time, or at least that's how we remember it. Mom told me later that we fell asleep pretty soon anyway. We didn't want to sleep because we wanted to see what these kings looked like, what wonderful glittering clothes these three wise men were wearing and what the camels were like and how they fit in our little house.
Creating magical moments around Christmas is part of childhood, and it is precisely these wonderful moments and traditions that many of us remember as adults. Today, January 5th, many children are still trying not to fall asleep, and tomorrow, when they wake up, they will rush to the Christmas tree and see with joy how all the grass and water have been eaten and drunk, and they will eagerly open that one more gift.
I also remember often thinking when I was little that if even the poorest children could get a gift... there were several children in our neighborhood who were very poor and beggars. I often wonder if other poor children even have a home to go to for Christmas...how would they even have a Christmas tree?
I know that many parents made great sacrifices so that their children would wake up to a pleasant surprise, as my parents did sometimes when times were hard.
Magical moments belong to everyone.
On January 6, we eat Rosca de Reyes (wise men's bun), a round cake made of bun dough and topped with thick cream. It is eaten while removing all the Christmas decorations.
Here in Finland, the Christmas tree is thrown away and the Christmas decorations are packed in boxes. So if you want to try ending Christmas with a lovely Argentinian flavor, here is the recipe for our Rosca de Reyes.
Rosca de Reyes Argentina
In Argentina, it is a tradition to eat Rosca de Reyes every January 6 to celebrate Three Kings Day. They have a special way of making it which is very simple and in the end the result is delicious and very striking. Let's see how this Argentinian Rosca de Reyes is made.
Ingredients
500 g wheat flour
120 cl warm milk
30 g of yeast
125 g of sugar
100 g of butter
3 eggs
1 tablespoon of honey
Lemon peel
Tangerine peel
2 tablespoons (large) vanilla essence
a pinch of salt
For the pastry cream
½ l of milk.
50 g of sugar.
2 tablespoons of vanilla essence
For decoration
4 tablespoons (large) powdered sugar
100 g of cherries
How to make Rosca de Reyes Argentina?
In the first step, mix warm milk with yeast and honey, dissolve everything well and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Then put the sifted flour with salt in a container, mix and set aside.
Beat the eggs with the sugar, peels and vanilla essence for 3 minutes, add the yeast, beat for 2 minutes and add the flour.
Add butter and knead into a smooth dough. Put the dough on a floured surface and continue to knead the dough and shape it into a ball of the desired size.
Make a hole in the middle of the dough with a wide cup (the hole should be wide!). When it's ready, let the dough rise for half an hour.
While the dough is rising, the pastry cream is made.
All ingredients are mixed well at room temperature. Heat the ingredients on a hot plate until it boils and becomes thick. After that, let the cream cool down.
Now it's time to brush the pastry with egg and then with cream. After greasing, put the pastry in the oven for about 25 minutes at a temperature of 180ºC.
After the pastry is taken out of the oven, it is allowed to cool. Sprinkle sugar on top and decorate with cherries at the end. Rosca de Reyes is ready!
500 g wheat flour
120 cl warm milk
30 g of yeast
125 g of sugar
100 g of butter
3 eggs
1 tablespoon of honey
Lemon peel
Tangerine peel
2 tablespoons (large) vanilla essence
a pinch of salt
For the pastry cream
½ l of milk.
50 g of sugar.
2 tablespoons of vanilla essence
For decoration
4 tablespoons (large) powdered sugar
100 g of cherries
How to make Rosca de Reyes Argentina?
In the first step, mix warm milk with yeast and honey, dissolve everything well and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Then put the sifted flour with salt in a container, mix and set aside.
Beat the eggs with the sugar, peels and vanilla essence for 3 minutes, add the yeast, beat for 2 minutes and add the flour.
Add butter and knead into a smooth dough. Put the dough on a floured surface and continue to knead the dough and shape it into a ball of the desired size.
Make a hole in the middle of the dough with a wide cup (the hole should be wide!). When it's ready, let the dough rise for half an hour.
While the dough is rising, the pastry cream is made.
All ingredients are mixed well at room temperature. Heat the ingredients on a hot plate until it boils and becomes thick. After that, let the cream cool down.
Now it's time to brush the pastry with egg and then with cream. After greasing, put the pastry in the oven for about 25 minutes at a temperature of 180ºC.
After the pastry is taken out of the oven, it is allowed to cool. Sprinkle sugar on top and decorate with cherries at the end. Rosca de Reyes is ready!