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When traveling to Mexico there are important considerations to keep in mind. In order to make your trip as relaxing and stress-free as possible it is wise to acquaint yourself with local requirements, rules, and customs to avoid any unnecessary delays or problems while on vacation.

The following is a list of things to help you plan a trip to Mexico.

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Three Kings Day Mexico

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Puerto Vallarta; Mexico. The Three Kings Day or Dia de los Reyes Magos on January 6th is a holiday almost unknown in the US or Canada, but is a considered a very important Holiday in Mexico. January 6th is the 12th day after Christmas and is the day the 3 wisemen (Kings) arrived with gifts for Baby Jesus.

In Mexico the custom for the Three Kings Day is the day children receive gifts of toys supposedly from the kings, reflecting the gifts presented to Baby Jesus by the 3 Wisemen. Until very recently the tradition of giving gifts on Christmas day was very minimal and the Three Kings day was a day to give toys and gifts to Children. Now both holidays are very strong for gifts.

If you are not familiar with the holiday as the Three Kings Day you may recognize it by the title in the Church Calendar as the Epiphany, but in Mexico it is los Reyes Magos, Melchor, Gaspar, and Baltazar. Some children receive gifts from both Santa Claus and the Kings, but Santa is seen as an imported custom, and the traditional day for Mexican children to receive gifts is January 6.

Since the days up to January 6^th are still considered part of the holiday season as they are the 12 days of Christmas, all decorations are left up until after January 6^th. On the night of January 5th, the figures of the Wise Men are placed in the nativity scene. The older classic tradition was for children to leave their shoes out with a bit of hay to feed the animals of the Nativity scene and the gifts would be left there. Sort of like children of other countries putting up a Christmas Stocking and leaving cookies and milk for Santa Clause. Nowadays the gifts are usually left under the Christmas Tree.

Another classic part of the holiday is the Rosca de Reyes, which is a special sweet flavored bread in the shape of a wreath, with small pieces of candied fruit, the tradition is for families or groups of co-workers or friends to get together and each person cuts their own piece of the Rosca. Inside the Rosca are one or more tiny plastic babies representing the baby Jesus. If you find a baby in your piece you are expected to host a special party serving Tamales and Atole on February 2^nd knows as Dia de la Candelaria or day of the Candle Mass.

So since the holidays seem to start on December 1^st with the beginning of the Festival of Guadalupe, then segue into the Posadas, Christmas, New years and then Dia de Los Reyes so the holiday is over 5 weeks long.