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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
If you thought that Christmas was long past, you are selling short the
Catholic culture of Costa Rica. Today is a special day, el Día
de los Reyes Magos.
And then there is still a series of rezos al niño as
families retire the figure of the Christ Child and the obligatory
household nativity scenes.
Los Reyes Magos are better known as the Three Wise Men in English.
Christian tradition holds that three great kings or wise men or
astronomers, attracted by the nativity star, traveled from somewhere
east of Bethlehem to the manger holding the newborn Jesús. The
Bible only mentions the visitors to the Christ child briefly in the
Gospel of Matthew.
Of more practical use for expats is the knowledge that Latin children
expect little gifts on this day. This day is celebrated with varying
degrees of emphasis all over the Latin world.
Some families hold dinners laced with prayers to commemorate the visit
by the three kings who brought gifts to the baby Jesus. Many homes have
a tradition of adding the figures of the wise men to the nativity scene
the previous evening.
Rezo al niño is a religious event with a lot of social
interaction and even music thrown in. The evening prayer session is not
held on a special day but on a convenient day throughout the month.
Many foreigners are surprised that such activities take place all
through January. One year the Museo Nacional had a public rezo al
niño that took place as late as Jan. 25 just before the nativity
scene was dismantled for the year.
A typical rezo al niño is an hours long production with live
music, much prayer, food and sometimes even fireworks. The prayer is
centered around the rosary, the assembly of 54 beads Catholics use for
prayer and meditation.
A musician frequently is part of a team that makes the neighborhood
rounds. Also present could be a mistress of ceremonies who leads the
prayers and perhaps other assistants. The family and invited guests
gather around the nativity scene, sing hymns and recite the rosary.
Although the event is called rezo al niño or prayers to
the child, Catholics wisely
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A typical nativity scene
suspect that the easiest way to the son is through the mother. So the
dominant prayer is the "Hail, Mary."
One round of the rosary is 59 separate prayers. The mistress of
ceremonies provides half a prayer and the assembled faithful respond
with the remainder. In the Catholic faith, a full recitation of the
rosary is four rounds or 20 decades, but with food waiting and restless
children, a single round is the norm in all but the most religious
households.
Sweet cakes and even a punch with alcohol for the adults round out the
evening, and within a day the nativity scene is packed away for the
coming year.
In Costa Rica there is no separation of church and state, so nativity
scenes are found at many public facilities. And a few offices will even
have truncated rezos al niño during the last half hour of a
workday.
The rezo tradition is not universal, but national level politicians and
other luminaries frequently can be seen in a family crowd reciting the
rosary. Some prestigious clubs and organizations hold sessions for
members. For example, the Costa Rica Tennis Club holds its rezo Friday
evening.
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