EJA, my ex, turns 34 today.
this is your shoutout boo-beep. i wish you a 2006 full of the peace and love that transcends all understanding. though we saw each other just two weeks ago, im not spending time with EJA. i did phone to wish him a happy bday.
January 6 is celebrated in the church calendar as Epiphany, the end of the 12 days of Christmas. it is on Epiphany that some of the eastern orthodox churches celebrate the baptism of the Messiah. on this day, the magi came bearing gifts. epiphany means a revealing or making known, because the gentiles spread the word about Rex Iudaeorum.
in latin american countries, the Epiphany is known as el día de los tres reyes (Three Kings' Day). when i started working at the san diego hilton as banquet chef in 1990, mexican coworkers on this day would bring in the rosca de los reyes (a ring shaped sweet bread - pan dulce). hotel workers were invited to celebrate in the cafeteria.
you slice your own rosca and drink hot chocolate. there are two or three muñecas (small plastic figurines of the baby Jesus) baked inside of each rosca.
whoever slices into the rosca and discovers the muñeca or eats the slice containing the baby is then designated to throw a party on February 2, or the día de la Candelaria (Candlemas day, the official end of the Christmas season, also known in the U.S. as Groundhog's Day). that's because the discovery of the baby Jesus makes its finder the godmother/godfather of the child. and the proud "godmother/godfather" typically celebrates Candlemas with a fiesta of tamales and sippable hot chocolate!
its a beautiful tradition if only because it extends the feeling of holiday cheer for just a few more days.
alas, i missed this year festivities.
on every previous bday, i brought him a rosca enjoying it with the family. quality standards are dubious for the advance-purchase rosca. mexican sweet bread typically goes stale and dry before it comes out of the oven.
to celebrate birthdays past, i called almost two dozen people and then asked them to call EJA. M&P, a lesbian couple we know, left an entertaining singing greeting on the answering machine one year. even matriarchs in Bethel A.M.E. church wished him a happy bday (at my prompting).
if you were expecting a long blog about my four years (or a blog about my four long years) with EJA right now (like i launched with the other major Capricorn in my life, TRM), dont fret. your flatscreens will be flooded soon enough with all the drama and details
peace and happy Epiphany, Playaj
