• USA Today, Wednesday, January 2, 2008 11:45 AM

A growing number of retailers are promoting the Hispanic tradition of celebrating Three Kings Day on Jan. 6 as a way to extend the holiday buying season and connect with Hispanic customers. El Día de los Reyes--also known as the Epiphany--celebrates the day in Christian tradition when the three wise men visited the baby Jesus.

Wal-Mart, which began promoting the tradition in a big way last year, is expanding. This year, the three kings are visiting Wal-Marts in the Southwest, and more than 300 Wal-Marts have displays and products geared to the celebration. Kmart, meanwhile, is sponsoring the Three Kings parade in Miami on Jan. 13 and an appearance by José Feliciano at its Bronx, N.Y., store Thursday.

Catching the growing Hispanic market is a goal for many businesses. At 44.3 million people, Hispanics are the largest minority in the U.S. They will control an estimated $1.2 trillion in spending power by 2011, a quadruple increase since 1990, says Mediamark Research.

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