MOUNT KISCO - More than 130 local children celebrated like it was Christmas Day as doctors at Northern Westchester Hospital handed out gifts for Three Kings Day. Henry Pinto, a 12-year-old from Mount Kisco, was still beaming after unwrapping his new four-way air hockey game yesterday morning when he was asked to explain what the day was all about.
"They're the ones who brought gifts to Jesus and happiness to his family," Henry said, adding it is also a day for families to get together and have fun.
The hospital conference room was festooned with garland and ornaments for a holiday celebrated by all Christians but especially those in Latin American countries, where it is known as El Dia de los Reyes Magos.
Also known as the Feast of the Epiphany, the day that falls 12 days after Christmas marks the arrival of the three kings - Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar - who according to the Bible presented gifts to the baby Jesus in Bethlehem.
Dr. Francisco Montano, Northern Westchester's chief of pediatrics, founded the annual celebration at the hospital five years ago. It is fitting because the day celebrates the importance of Jesus' birth, he said.
"Basically, these are special children too, to us," Montano said.
Sponsors and supporters include more than a dozen organizations and several individuals who donated presents, food and time putting the festivities together. They include several day laborers from nearby Neighbor's Link, a local Hispanic outreach organization that sponsored the event, who wrapped the hundreds of presents that were handed out.
Families were invited to arrive early and enjoy breakfast, including eggs, bagels, doughnuts and juice, and traditional holiday songs performed by Glendalise Sosa and Felix Otero of Lehman Stage in the Bronx. Otero reminded the children to keep in mind the story behind the day and to remember why they were receiving gifts.
"They're treating you like the three kings treated Jesus," said Otero who, like others who spoke, alternated between English and Spanish.
Three teenagers from Fox Lane High School portrayed the kings, entering the room clad in decorative gowns and presiding over the gift distribution. Other young people took part by portraying the kings' squires, while Boy Scouts from Troop 271 in Mahopac Falls helped hand out presents.
Each child was called individually to the front, where they exchanged a ticket for gifts - such as games, trucks, stuffed animals and dolls - that were pre-selected based on age and gender.
"It's a special day because the three kings, on this day, they came and gave joy," said Eileen Berra, 9, whose parents, Juan Carlos and Elvira Berra, bring her and her three siblings here every year.
Simone O'Connor and her daughter Melina, 4, watched as her son Evan, 12, played the part of squire. Last year, O'Connor's oldest son James was one of the kings.
They came because Montano is their family doctor, O'Connor said, but Melina would not be receiving a gift today. (The family actually donated presents.) Her mother thought this would be a good chance for her to gain a valuable lesson about giving and receiving.
"I think that my kids will get more out of this than the kids who are getting gifts," she said, "because they're learning something."