The Gospel of Matthew, the only one of the four Canonical gospels to mention the Magi, states that they came "from the east" to worship the Christ, "born King of the Jews."

Celebrated every January 6, the feast of the Three Kings marks the official end of the liturgical Christmas of the Philippines. The twelve days of Christmas end with the Feast of Epiphany also called the “The Adoration of the Magi” or the “The Manifestation of God”. It is also known as the Pasko ng Matatanda (Feast of the Elderly); the day specially honors senior citizens.

It has been tradition for decades here in our country to celebrate Three Kings. In the city of Manila, some prestigious clubs like Casino Español organize events for the feast. It is somehow like parades presented remembering the story behind of the three wise men. Participants are dressed in royal robes while the Three Kings ride on horses, as there are no camels in the Philippines. They parade down the block and ended at the clubhouse where children of the Spanish community await them to receive more Christmas gifts. There are gifts prepared for the poor children and orphans too.

The town of Gapan in Marinduque also has its own celebration of the feast. There is a religious folk play in which the Three Kings follow a star and meet Herod and eventually find the holy Infant Jesus.

The Story of the Three Wise Men

An old legend based on a Bible story tells how the three kings travelled from the east in search for the new born king.  These three wise men on the night when Christ is born followed a bright star to Bethlehem and found there the Christ child and presented it with gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The Essence of the Three Kings

The Feast of the Three Kings is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ. The magi represented three gifts to Jesus Christ which reflects of who Jesus is and what His mission was to fulfill. The gold represented the fact that Jesus was royal. The frankincense supports the claim that Jesus is divine and the myrrh was for the importance of the mortality of Jesus. The importance of the gifts was the message that each one conveyed about Jesus.

Trivia

The magical bearers of gifts for Filipino children during Christmas were the Three Kings, not Santa Claus. In the old tradition, shoes were brightly polished and left on the window at night with the cleanest socks. The children believe that the Three Kings are on their way to Bethlehem and would pass by their homes to fill their shoes and socks with gifts. Some would thoughtfully leave some straw or dry grass for the camels; if these were gone in the morning, surely the camels must have been terribly hungry.