BREWSTER – Putnam Queens
and Kings Celebration shared the warmth with Puerto Rican families who
recently relocated to the region in the wake of the devastating hurricanes
that ravaged the island last year.
The Studio around the Corner in Brewster was the location of Saturday’s
gathering that attracted some 150 guests of all ages, from all walks of
life and all religious backgrounds who celebrated the return of Santa
to the North Pole.
For thousands of Latin American children the gift-giving and receiving
doesn’t officially end until the 12th day of Christmas known as
the “Feast of the Epiphany” or “Three Kings’ Day.”
Children enjoy arts and crafts
The Three Kings highlight the festival
Festival organizer Norma Pereira explained the festival was held to “celebrate
the queen and king in all of us. Each person has his or her own majesty
and we acknowledged that everyone has a gift to give.”
A variety of events and activities including the reading of poetry, holiday
stories in both English and Spanish, craft demonstrations, live holiday
music and a visit from the three Wise Men themselves highlighted the festival.
The Rev. Travis Mitchell, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Brewster
delivered a unity prayer while Yolanda Arce of Southeast called on all
Americans to be united in assisting the people of her native homeland.
Arce recently traveled to Puerto Rico and described the damage to the
infrastructure and countryside as being “horrific and terribly sad.”
The Three Kings–Jorge Fierro, James Shearwood and Pedro Vazquez,
all local residents, even handed out ‘aguinaldos’ or small
gifts to each child attending.
The evening culminated with a performance by the Parranda–a troupe
consisting of music from various Caribbean countries including Puerto
Rico, Cuba, Trinidad, and Venezuela.
The Parranda is regularly performed with acoustic guitars, drums, scrapers,
shakers and turtle shell percussion in coastal villages of Belize, Honduras,
and Guatemala.”
