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Hispanic families in Utah celebrate 'Dia de los Reyes' traditions

Posted at 9:42 PM, Jan 06, 2024
and last updated 2024-01-07 00:02:37-05

RIVERTON, Utah — Every Jan. 6 at Cakes By Edith, it’s all hands on deck.

“Every bakery has their own style, this has been our style for seventeen years,” said Alma Lopez.

At 4 a.m., everyone’s in the kitchen rolling, cutting, baking, and decorating Rosca de Reyes, also known as “Wreath of the Kings.”

Families share the tasty sweet bread every Dia de Los Reyes, or Three Kings Day, which celebrates the day the three Wise Men first saw baby Jesus.

Hidden in the dessert are two or three little Jesus figurines to find.

“Whoever gets one of these baby Jesuses has to make tamales for Feb. 2., which is another party called La Candelaria,” explained Lopez.

Lopez said the bakery’s Taylorsville location sold out very quickly and their Riverton location ran out of roscas a half hour before closing.

This was the first year they offered online reservations, which was a major gamechanger. The bakery still had desserts available for walk-in customers, but the quantity was limited.

“Every year we keep selling more and more and people keep hearing more about us,” said Lopez.

Serving the community is their favorite way to celebrate until they find their own time at the end of a 14-hour shift.

“After our night is over, we all sit down and cut our rosca and just give thanks for the blessing that we had today,” she said.