GREENACRES — Nelson Sanchez and Hector Perez rushed from their barber shop to join Edwin Pereira at the back of the Greenacres fire station Saturday afternoon.
It was time to become kings.
The three men emerged as Melchior, Baltazar and Gaspar, complete with colorful robes and plastic crowns, and crossed the street as the Three Kings to deliver gifts to hundreds of children at the annual Fiesta de Pueblo. It celebrates the area’s Hispanic heritage and pays homage to the story in the Bible of the three kings who traveled to Bethlehem to see the newborn Jesus and bring him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Becoming royalty for the parade each year is an honor for the three men, who hail from Puerto Rico and, like so many people from Latin American nations, have fond memories of Three Kings Day as children.
“My biggest satisfaction is every time I see the kids and their eyes are wide open, and when you give them the toys, they’re so happy,” said Pereira, an Army veteran who has performed as Melchior since the festival’s inception in 2016. “The kids and the people feel the same magic. They feel so proud of their heritage. I always say this is my one hour of fame.”
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Thousands gathered at Samuel J. Ferreri Park for Saturday’s festivities, where people from 21 Latin American countries honored their cultures with traditional clothing, dance, song and food from their home nations. In Latin America, the arrival of the Three Kings is celebrated Jan. 6, but since the holiday fell on a Monday, the festival took place Saturday.
“The three kings are considered Santa Claus for the Hispanic community,” said Sam Roman, a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy who escorted the parade. Roman dressed up as Baltazar for the first five years before he retired from king duties to oversee the event’s security.
“It’s a matter of keeping the tradition alive,” said Roman, whose daughter drives from Orlando every year to attend the event. “Not only for us, but also for the youth and the children.”
The festival featured a village with more than 15 countries where residents taught visitors about their history, culture and traditions. It saw performances by bands such as De P.R. La Escuelita de la Salsa, El Bombazo de Florida and El Compita Gera y su Código 561. Local dance groups performed Peruvian polkas, Puerto Rican salsa and Venezuelan joropo. At 8 p.m., the lawn at the amphitheater was still flooded with people dancing along to Latin American song and dance styles such as cumbia, bachata and tambores.
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Performers march in a parade Saturday celebrating Three Kings Day at the Fiesta De Pueblo at Samuel J. Ferreri Community Park in Greenacres.
Sanchez, who has dressed up as Gaspar since the first year, said he’s seen the festival grow from a few hundred people to one that now hosts thousands who travel across the county and state to get a taste of Latin America and the Caribbean.
“It’s become a tradition that families wait for every year,” Sanchez said. “Many can’t go back to their countries, so here, they have a brief moment to feel as if they were celebrating back home.”
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Meet Melchior: ‘I want to do this as long as I can,’ Nelson Sanchez says
Sanchez hesitated when he was first asked to be Melchior. But he remembered his excitement growing up when his parents took him to pick grass to leave under his bed for the kings’ camels when they came to deliver gifts.
“When I put on my costume, I saw all the kids and the joy in everyone’s faces,” Sanchez said. “That is when I said, “OK, I want to do this as long as I can.’”
When kids see Melchior, they dart toward him and wrap their arms around his sparkly light blue gown. Some ask to be held and pull at the long, white beard he grows out for the event. Others stare at him from behind their mother’s dresses. Fathers hand him newborns to take pictures.
But even the shiest of toddlers line up when they see the bag of gifts and thank him with a hug and shrieks of joy.
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One baby looking at Sanchez in awe back in 2016 was his 1-year-old daughter. This Saturday marked Nelson’s ninth year as Gaspar; his daughter is now 11, and his son is 9.
“Now, for them, I am one of the original Three Kings,” Sanchez said, laughing. “For me it’s about the youth, so they can learn about their roots, where their parents and blood comes from.”
Nelson Sanchez (left) as Melchior, Hector Perez as Baltazar and Edwin Pereira as Gaspar perform during a parade Saturday celebrating Three Kings Day at the Fiesta De Pueblo at Samuel J. Ferreri Community Park in Greenacres.
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At 35, Perez is the youngest of the Three Kings.
Perez moved to Greenacres five years ago and has been Baltazar ever since. He was asked to fill in at the last minute for Roman in 2019 and now even his family back home looks forward to the pictures he sends of himself dressed in a shiny red cloak.
First, he slides into a set of baggy pants. Then, he wears a red blouse and wraps a golden cape around his neck. He puts on gloves, fixes a neck gaiter and assembles a three-part crown with a red feather. “It’s like putting a puzzle together,” said Perez in Spanish.
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For Perez, the energy at Fiesta de Pueblo is like parrandear — a family party — in Puerto Rico.
“It’s like a family reunion,” he said. “You can feel the energy and joy of so many cultures coming together to meet and to learn from each other.”
Guests line up for food during the Three Kings Day celebration Saturday at the Fiesta De Pueblo at Samuel J. Ferreri Community Park in Greenacres.
Meet Gaspar: ‘I feel like a kid again,’ Edwin Pereira says
Pereira says every time he steps out as Gaspar he is always impressed to see the thousands of families that have joined in on the Fiesta de Pueblo. His favorite part is getting to see familiar families return every year and getting to watch as the kids grow into teens and adults.
“And every time I do it, I feel like a kid again,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez, who has lived in Greenacres for more than 20 years, says the area has become home to Hispanics from a mix of different nationalities and the festival is a crucial space for them to get to know each other.
“We are a race with different accents and cultures, but we have a whole lot in common, and that brings us even closer together,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez also said that the Fiesta de Pueblo showcases Hispanic excellence.
“It’s become a day where all the Hispanic and Latin American people get together in unity to show that we do have strength, and for people to know that we’re here,” he said.
Valentina Palm covers Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Greenacres, Palm Springs and other western communities in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at vpalm@pbpost.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @ValenPalmB. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Three Kings Day: What it’s like to be a king at Christmastime festival