Jan 5, 2013

On Jan. 6, 12 days after Christmas, Christians around the world observe Epiphany, or Three Kings Day. The holiday celebrates the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus. Celebrated in some countries like Christmas, the day brings with it parades and pageants to mark the end of the winter holiday season.

: A craftsman gives the final touches to a float for the “White Day” parade, part of the Carnival of Blacks and Whites in Pasto, Colombia, on January 4. The Carnival of Blacks and Whites, annually celebrated on the eve of Three Kings Day, was declared by UNESCO as “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.” (Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Images)

: A craftsman looks at a float for the”White Day” parade, part of the Carnival of Blacks and Whites in Pasto, Colombia, on January 4. The Carnival of Blacks and Whites, annually celebrated on the eve of Three Kings Day, was declared by UNESCO as “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.” (Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Images)

: A craftsman gives the final touches to a float for the “White Day” parade, part of the Carnival of Blacks and Whites in Pasto, Colombia, on January 4. The Carnival of Blacks and Whites, annually celebrated on the eve of Three Kings Day, was declared by UNESCO as “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.” (Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Images)

: A craftsman gives the final touches to a float for the “White Day” parade, part of the Carnival of Blacks and Whites in Pasto, Colombia, on January 4. The Carnival of Blacks and Whites, annually celebrated on the eve of Three Kings Day, was declared by UNESCO as “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.” (Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Images)

: A craftsman gives the final touches to a float for the “White Day” parade, part of the Carnival of Blacks and Whites in Pasto, Colombia, on January 4. The Carnival of Blacks and Whites, annually celebrated on the eve of Three Kings Day, was declared by UNESCO as “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.” (Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Images)

: Children wait to get a piece of the traditional “Rosca de Reyes” (kings’ ring), a large ring-shaped bread roll baked for Epiphany, in Mexico City, on January 3, 2013. Weighing 10 metric tons (about 22,000 pounds) and measuring 1900 meters around, this ‘rosca de reyes’ was the world’s biggest and was distributed among 200,000 people at Zocalo Square in the Mexican capital. (Alfredo Estrella/AFP/Getty Images)

: People receive the pastry “Roscon de reyes” (literally, kings’ ring) to eat during a Kings’ Day celebration, at Zocalo Square in Mexico City. The bread, measuring 1,900 meters (6,233 ft), is a typical dessert made on the morning of the Christian holiday of Epiphany, the date when the three Wise Men visited the baby Jesus. It was divided into some 200,000 pieces for free sampling, according to local media. (Edgard Garrido/Reuters)

: Young carol singers, dressed like the three kings, visit the coal mine Prosper Haniel Schacht 10 on January 4, 2013 in Bottrop, western Germany. (Patrik Stollarz/AFP/Getty Images)

: A young carol singer dressed like one of the Magi visits the coal mine Prosper Haniel Schacht 10 on January 4, 2013 in Bottrop, western Germany. (Patrik Stollarz/AFP/Getty Images)

: Performers from Abya Yala Art and Culture march during the Three Kings Day Parade on January 4, 2013 in East Harlem in New York City. The parade celebrates the Feast of the Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day, marking the Biblical story of the visit of three kings to Bethlehem to visit the baby Jesus. (Mario Tama/Getty Images

: Revelers march during the Three Kings Day Parade on January 4, 2013 in East Harlem in New York City. The parade celebrates the Feast of the Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day, marking the Biblical story of the visit of three kings to Bethlehem to visit the baby Jesus. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

: Revelers prepare to march during the Three Kings Day Parade on January 4, 2013 in East Harlem in New York City. The parade celebrates the Feast of the Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day, marking the Biblical story of the visit of three kings to Bethlehem to visit the baby Jesus. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

: Performers from Abya Yala Art and Culture march during the Three Kings Day Parade on January 4, 2013 in East Harlem in New York City. The parade celebrates the Feast of the Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day, marking the Biblical story of the visit of three kings to Bethlehem to visit the baby Jesus. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, watches as young carol singers dressed like the Magi perform a short skit at the Chancellery in Berlin on January 4, 2013. Carol singers visited the Chancellery as part of the “Three King’s Action” charity, which focused on healthcare in Tanzania this year. (John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images)

: Young carol singers, known as Sternsingers (literally, “star singers”), make their way over a snowy meadow on Janury 3, 2013.. In the background is the “Maria Himmelfahrt” (Ascension of Mary) conventual church. The singers were working with the 2013 “Three King’s Action” charity, which focuses on the plight of children in Tanzania. (Patrick Seeger/AFP/Getty Images)

: Young carol singers attend a service on January 3, 2013 at the St Laurentius church in Neuenkirchen near Bramsche, western Germany. The service was held before the singers started their mission with the 2013 “Three King’s Action” charity, that focuses on the plight of children in Tanzania. (Friso Gentsch/AFP/Getty Images)

: Men dressed as King Caspar, right, and Melchior greet spectators while riding camels during the Three Kings procession at Hradcanske Square as part of a re-enactment of the Nativity scene, in Prague. (David W Cerny/Reuters)

: Men dressed as the Three Kings sit on camels during the Three Kings procession at Hradcanske Square as part of a re-enactment of the Nativity scene, in Prague. (David W Cerny/Reuters)

: A man dressed as King Balthazar greets spectators while riding a camel during the Three Kings procession at Hradcanske Square as part of a re-enactment of the Nativity scene, in Prague. (David W Cerny/Reuters)

: Children post letters to the Three Kings at the main post office in Mexico City on January 4, 2013. In Spanish-speaking parts of the world, children believe that the Three Kings receive their letters and so bring them gifts on the night before Epiphany. The Mexican Post Office opened this service to encourage the use of traditional mail. (Omar Torres/AFP/Getty Images)

: Valentina Talavera, right, listens to her godmother Maria Fernanda Garrido as she writes a letter to the Three Kings at the main post office in Mexico City on January 4, 2013. In Spanish-speaking parts of the world, children believe that the Three Kings receive their letters and so bring them gifts on the night before Epiphany. The Mexican Post Office opened this service to encourage the use of traditional mail. (Omar Torres/AFP/Getty Images)

: A Mexican child writes a letter to the Three Kings at the main post office in Mexico City on January 4, 2013. In Spanish-speaking parts of the world, children believe that the Three Kings receive their letters and so bring them gifts on the night before Epiphany. The Mexican Post Office opened this service to encourage the use of traditional mail. (Omar Torres/AFP/Getty Images)

Epiphany (or Three Kings Day) marked by parades, pageants

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