Coronavirus Update New York City: Three Kings Day celebrations go virtual amid COVID pandemic

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Celebrations are taking place across New York City and the nation -- most of them virtual -- for the annual Three Kings Day Wednesday.

El Museo del Barrio in East Harlem held the first of its two-part online celebration, dedicating this year's gatherings to the collective strength of the community in response to the pandemic and the cultural contributions of the African diaspora.

The second part, scheduled for 6 p.m., includes musical performances, comedy skits, poetry, and more.

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It is the 44th annual celebration by El Museo Del Barrio, with this year's event titled "Fuerza Colectiva: Celebrating our Roots and Diversity" and hosted by TV personality and producer Rhina Valentin.

It marks the day when the three wise men arrived in Bethlehem with gifts for the newborn Jesus and is widely celebrated in Spanish-speaking nations and communities.

The museum's first-ever virtual celebration features La Grupo R with the participation of Beto Torrens from Puerto Rico, Los Pleneros de la 21, festive skits by Victor Cruz's animated character TITA, cameos by famous giant puppets, and saludos from this year's honorees.

The three "Honorary Kings" are:

--Rosa Clemente, journalist, scholar-activist, and political commentator

--Félix Matos Rodríguez, chancellor of the City University of New York

--Juan Sanchez, artist.

The event will be streamed on El Museo's website, Facebook, and YouTube.

Separately, hundreds of gifts were given out to children in the community and pediatric patients outside Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn.

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