Everything is ready to begin the big 46 Three Kings Day party and parade in Harlem, which has been on hiatus due to the pandemic.
As usual, the Museo del Barrio organizes and inaugurates the party taking care of every detail, but something that stands out and we usually don’t pay much attention to is the creation of the costumes, of which the Colombian artist Michelle Melo has been part of the team since 2008 and unleash your creativity.
“I’m not a tailor or anything like that, I’m a visual artist and I work with fabrics and fabrics, but I do all of this because it’s very detailed, it’s things that are done by hand, they’re very delicate arrangements that you can’t sew by hand. car,” adds Melo.
Each year, three outstanding people from the community are chosen to be the kings of honor and don these costumes by designer Emilio Sosa that require custom-made alterations.
Michelle Melo, visual artist explains why: “Mostly costumes of the kings who are haute couture, then they are almost all stitching in the air.
“The headgear Generally, we don’t all have the same head size, so we add this piece of fabric to be able to put foam inside in case your head is smaller and it fits in the back of your neck.”
Melo is also part of the construction of the huge 12-foot-tall puppets of Melchor, Caspar and Baltasar who, according to tradition, brought gold, frankincense and myrrh as gifts to the Child Jesus.
“Then the gifts these kings bring are different from the traditional ones. The one represents the sky which is Baltasar, this is Caspar who represents the tree and the last one, i.e. Melchor, represents the sea. We spent months making them.”
And, of course, the huge capes that carry yards of cloth and clothing, the giant puppets that parade down 106th Street and Lexington Avenue, ending up at 115th and Park Avenue every January 6th.
“The route is very scenographic… very theatrical, isn’t it? Yes. So, quick seams, and they have certain parts where, for example, in the belly part, there is a space that is veiled because the puppetthe puppeteer has to be careful where he walks,” says Michelle Melo.
Returning to the in-person celebration this year, the theme of the parade focuses on the importance of mental health and wellness in our communities.
