The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Puerto Rican families celebrate Three Kings Day
NEW HAVEN — Puerto Rican families displaced by last fall’s devastating hurricanes were treated to a piece of home on Saturday, as more than 300 people attended a Three Kings Day celebration hosted for children, adults and hosts assisting displaced families.
More than 200 donated gifts were provided to children during the celebration at John C. Daniels School of International Communication. The celebration which was organized by numerous local organizations. Among them were Wishing Wheels and Bishops Orchards, who donated more than 40 bikes to children; Junta for Progressive Action; St. Joseph Church; NHR Properties; and the City of New Haven.
The holidays marks the three wise men’s journey to and visit for baby Jesus. The holiday is especially popular in Puerto Rico.
State Rep. Juan Candelaria, D-New Haven, has been a vocal proponent for assisting Puerto Rican families following destructive hurricanes that continue affecting the island. He welcome the hundreds in attendance in English and Spanish and welcomed everyone to New Haven.
“We know it’s not easy to leave an island, to leave our enchanted island, to come to a strange land, but many people ... have coordinated this event for you,” Candelaria said. “Because it’s important that despite being far from our island, we follow our culture.”
Taysha Claudio is a mother of two who arrived in New Haven on Oct. 23 due to the storm. Unlike some families who relocated here, she did not have relatives in the city. She said she’s grateful for the community, which has made her feel welcome in her short time. She currently lives in a hotel.
Claudio said she’s made friends with numerous other Puerto Ricans from different regions who’ve arrived here under similar circumstances.
“We feel really proud because they’ve thought about our children, and despite everything, we have people who are supporting us, who are with us,” Claudio said in Spanish.
Board of Education parent engagement coordinator Daniel Diaz said at least 180 children have been relocated to New Haven from Puerto Rico. There was at least one student from Mexico who was relocated to the city as a result of an earthquake, Diaz said, and students from the U.S. Virgin Islands, who were also receiving gifts Saturday.
“We felt that these students and their families were abruptly removed from their homes as a result of the devastation of the hurricane,” Diaz said. “Some of them wanted to come; some of them had no choice.”
Diaz said most children didn’t have a choice on whether to leave the Island, which is why they wanted to bring them a taste of home.
“We felt that the right thing to do was to at least give them a feeling of welcome into New Haven,” Diaz said, adding the event is, “a little piece of paradise in the middle of the snow.”