GREEN ACRES — Hispanic residents from across South Florida celebrated the arrival of the Three Kings by singing, clapping and dancing in the rain Saturday at the city’s Fiesta de Pueblo.
Heavy rain and strong winds threatened to cancel the festival this year, but despite the weather, attendees and performers chanted, twirled and stomped to live music.
“I get bored with salsa,” said David Rucka, lead singer of Los Clásicos de la Salsa.
Thousands of people gathered Saturday for the annual Fiesta de Pueblo at the Samuel J. Ferreri Community Park in Greece, where people from 21 Latin American countries wore traditional costumes and traditional They showed off their culture by serving traditional food and dancing to music.
Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing racial group in Palm Beach County. According to 2020 Census figures, the population has grown by more than 20% over the past decade. To accommodate this growth, the Palm Beach County Commission last year created District 3, a new district that includes the predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods of Greenacres, Palm Springs and Lake Clark Shores.
Puerto Ricans Rebecca Melecio and Vicki Rodriguez have lived in Palm Beach County for more than 20 years and say the Latino community is becoming more diverse and entrepreneurial. “Before we were cornered, we had our own restaurants and businesses,” said Melesio, a Lake Worth Beach resident.
Melecio and Rodriguez say Fiesta de Pueblo allows them to keep their family traditions alive. They jumped up from their folding chairs and danced as the band played the classic Puerto Rican Christmas song, “Fiesta de Pirito.”
“We celebrate Three Kings as if we were right at home,” Rodriguez said. “We’re here to connect with the island, the music and the people.”
Spain and the countries of Latin America celebrate the arrival of the Three Kings on January 6th. This Catholic holiday is inspired by the New Testament story of three kings who traveled from the East to Bethlehem to bring gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the newborn Jesus.
However, each nationality celebrates this festival slightly differently.
In Puerto Rico, families begin the celebration by having their children pull weeds from their gardens and place them next to a bowl of water for the camels, which were a burden in the Middle East the day before. In the morning, the children open presents and then go to a local festival.
In Mexico, this holiday is marked by the baking of rosca de reyes, round sweet breads decorated to resemble crowns. Inside is a plastic baby symbolizing Jesus. The person who gets it has to cook tamales for the rest of the family.
In Peru, “La Bajada de Reyes”, which means “The Coming of the King” in Spanish, is celebrated with a “cabalgata”, a parade in which the king passes out sweets to children.
Juan Pagan and Santos Arroyo, founders of the Florida Hispanic American Chamber of Commerce, organized the first Fiesta de Pueblo at Greenacres in 2016.
This annual event features performances by local high school students, live music from Latin and Caribbean bands, and the signature Three Kings parade where Melchior, Gaspard, and Balthazar present candy, presents, and stuffed animals to children. .
Pagan said the festival has become a tradition for Palm Beach County’s growing Hispanic population, with Latinos coming from all over South Florida for the event. “This is not just for Hispanics. It’s for the entire community to celebrate the integration of our culture,” Pagan said.
Colombian Sara Castillo, 17, performed for the first time at Fiesta de Pueblo on Saturday with her classmates from John I. Leonard High School. By the time it was our group’s turn, it started to rain.
They took off their shoes and danced barefoot, then hugged each other in a circle before taking the stage. Their choreography led the audience through cumbia, salsa choke, and hip-hop steps.
“Hispanics, we’re like, ‘We’re going to get through this.’ What happens with a little rain? We’re going to get through it either way. We’re really determined. We’re really determined. ” Castillo said. His head is hard. ”
Castillo was 2 years old when his family moved to West Palm Beach from Pereira, Colombia. She believes that many children who immigrated at a young age tend to forget their heritage.
“They don’t have many people who look like them, and they’re ashamed and forget that,” Castillo said. “This is a way to show kids that they can enjoy their culture.”
Jocelyn Rosales Trejo, 12, and her siblings Cesar, 11, and Jimena, 9, live in Vero Beach. For the past six months, they have been rehearsing traditional Mexican dances at a local church. Saturday was his second time performing in front of an audience.
And they said it was their first time dancing in the rain.
“It was tough. We were excited but also scared,” Jocelyn said as water dripped from her pink lace dress. “But we would like to do it again.”
“It felt so good,” added Cesar, who was wearing a red bandana and traditional charro pants.
Their parents, Blanca Trejo and Alberto Rosales, cheered them on from the crowd. They sent their three children to dance lessons so they could experience the traditions of their hometown.
“We’re very proud,” Trejo said. “They do it with so much joy and emotion. I never expected them to be so into it.”
Claudia Castillo, 19, learned how to perform traditional Venezuelan dances when her family immigrated to the United States from Valencia, Venezuela’s third largest city, seven years ago.
Her academy, Venezuela Danza y Tambor, has been performing at the Fiesta de Pueblo for eight years. Castillo says “Danza Nacionalista Venezolana” is a cultural expression of the folklore of her home country.
“I feel like the instrument is entering my soul,” Castillo said. “I had red lipstick, my hair in a high bun, and I was wearing a dress that featured the red, yellow, and blue colors of the Venezuelan flag. This is happiness. It is an expression of
Castillo became an instructor, teaching choreography to the youngest students.
“I learned a lot about different dances, techniques and our history, and now I have the opportunity to teach it to another generation,” Castillo said.
Vicmari Avila, director of the academy, said her performance at Fiesta de Pueblo allowed her to share her passion for Venezuelan dance and traditions with her students.
“We want to keep our culture alive. We don’t want to hide it,” Avila said.
