The CubanAmerican Voice®

The Three Wise Men: Innocence, Cynicism and Freedom

The Three Wise MenThe Three Wise Men: Innocence, Cynicism And Freedom

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Today, January 6, Christian culture celebrates the Day of the Three Wise Men. It is not only the feast of the Epiphany of Christ, that is, of his manifestation to all peoples and cultures represented by those Magi from the East of the world. It is also, as we will see, a cultural festival, especially in Cuba.

However, during the period of greatest religious persecution, the celebration of both Christmas and the beautiful children's feast of the Three Wise Men every January 6th was prohibited in Cuba. Even a strange "Children's Day" was instituted in July, which no one remembers anymore. That's how fleeting the holidays imposed by arbitrariness are. However, little by little, in the midst of the most frightening situation, the ancient tradition of the Day of the Three Wise Men is re-emerging in some Cuban families.

It is also a sad truth that when a religious and cultural feature such as that of the Three Wise Men is destroyed, the void begins to be filled, sometimes facilitated or pushed by those who emptied our most genuine traditions, by other customs that are completely foreign and without any biblical foundation, as the feast of the Three Wise Men has. Such is the case of the character of Santa Claus, with his enormous belly, red hats for the cold, and even sleighs for the snow, in a tropical country. The gifts are no longer brought by the Three Wise Men on the night of January 5-6, near the “Birth” of Jesus Christ, they are placed at the base of an artificial tree, generally not with the green of our native pines, but white with frost and ornaments from a cold country.

Just as this beautiful and authentic religious and cultural tradition of the Kings was abolished and replaced by traditions foreign to our culture, so could other elements and traits of identity that characterize our Cubanness. The peaceful struggle for freedom cannot include the assimilation of traditions and customs of nations that live in freedom, and if they are assimilated by family influence it is not by replacing those that are our own, but by opening them to the universality of these times. It is not about nostalgia for the old but about cultivating our roots.

 

Why is the transculturation that occurred when Spain and Portugal arrived in our countries so criticized, but not these new cultural battles that we are experiencing today, with other methods, perhaps more sophisticated and less violent, but just as invasive? We know that this cultural battle is not limited to religious traditions or national customs, but rather responds to an ideological agenda that attempts to tyrannize all differences, erase historical memory, and impose a globalist, homogeneous culture subject to ideologies.

Today I want to specifically refer to three elements that we can learn from this ancient “Feast of the Three Wise Men”: innocence, cynicism, and freedom.

Innocence

Three Kings' Day is closely related to the cultivation of children's innocence and fantasy, which are, at that age, the foundations of creativity, illusion, optimism, and the will to live that is so lacking in adults who did not have the good fortune of having their parents cultivate innocence and fantasy in the name of a heartless realism and groveling materialism. Protecting children's innocence and encouraging their fantasy is educating them for an optimistic, creative, and entrepreneurial future.

Cynicism

A soulless realism and down-to-earth materialism lead to existential cynicism that encourages manipulation, Machiavellian methods, and the use of seemingly good paths to impose evil. This malevolent dynamic is perfectly described in the biblical passage that reflects the “dialogue” of the Magi with King Herod:

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, behold, wise men from the East arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the newborn King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the East, and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. … Then Herod called the wise men aside and determined from their information the exact time the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for this child. When you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” When they heard the king, they set out. And behold, the star they had seen in the East went before them until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. When they went into the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they withdrew to their own country by another route.” (Matthew 2, 1-12)

Lessons from this Bible story:

  • The innocence of the Magi at the beginning of their “dialogue” with Herod.
  • The desire of the Kings to seek the truth of the signs and not remain in the superstition of the stars or in the incitements of power.
  • Herod's shock and fear upon learning that the Liberator has been born.
  • Herod's cynicism in wanting to use the Kings as "informants" of where the baby Jesus was in order to order his death. The massacre took place, but the baby Jesus was saved by going into exile.
  • The Kings found the truth in Jesus, they opened their eyes, and they did not lend themselves to betraying the innocent child: they went “another way.” Today we would say, the way of truth and justice.
  • All cynical manipulation of evil can be overcome by seeking the truth and taking a different path from that of all manipulative power.

Freedom

In some countries under Spanish rule, the Feast of the Three Wise Men became a day of provisional freedom for slaves. On that day, in the barracks and in the squares, the drums of their native culture sounded, they performed their dances and religious rites and let their souls express themselves. It was the Feast of the Afro-Cuban Cabildos, linked to the Christian Feast of the Three Wise Men every January 6, celebrated since 1683 and the Cabildos officially recognized since 1755.

These glimpses of freedom of expression, in the midst of the cruelest slavery, are also a lesson for us:

  • The soul of the people and their culture are indomitable. They can be enslaved, persecuted, or repressed, but they live in the depths of the people and will re-emerge through every crack that oppression allows, or that the people themselves manage to open.
  • The Feast of Three Kings' Day should be rescued, promoted, and taught, for the different aspects of its meaning: as a Christian religious holiday that appears in the Bible; as a holiday of our culture due to the tradition of the Town Councils; as a historical holiday due to the centuries it has been celebrated; and as a holiday of innocence and freedom due to what it meant in terms of liberation of expression, of reunion, of the religion of slaves in our history.

May we Cubans be guided by the lone star of our freedom.

May we Cubans always seek the path of truth that makes us free.

May we Cubans not be fooled by the power of lies.

May we Cubans always choose the path of truth, justice, freedom, and love.

This would be the best gift from the Three Wise Men for Cuba.

Until next Monday, God willing.

Published by Centro de Estudios Convivencia

Dagoberto ValdesAuthor: Dagoberto Valdes Hernandez (Pinar del Rio, Cuba, 1955).

  • Agricultural Engineer. Master in Social Sciences from the Francisco de Vitoria University, Madrid, Spain.
  • Jan Karski Prize for Courage and Compassion 2004, Tolerance Plus 2007, Our Voice Prize for Perseverance 2011, and Patmos Prize 2017.
  • He directed the Civic Center and the Vitral magazine from its foundation in 1993 until 2007.
  • He was a member of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace from 1999 to 2007.
  • He worked as a yagüero (collector of royal palm leaves) for 10 years.
  • He is a founding member of the Editorial Board of Convivencia and its Director.
  • Lives in Pinar del Rio.

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