El Día de los Reyes (The Three Wise Men’s day) in Spain and in Latin America is a far more important celebration than Christmas.
All over the world most of children receive gifts from Santa on Christmas day, they wake up early and rush toward the Christmas tree to see what Santa brought them. Well, in Spain it’s quite different. Children write the letter to the three wise men (Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar) who bring them their desired gifts on the night of Juanuary 5th or on the following morning. This is why children leave some food and drinks on the table for them and their thirsty camels as this is the only night all year round when they drink. It is also typical for Spanish children to leave their shoes right in front of the bed so the three kings can fill them with treats.
How do Spaniards celebrate el día de los Reyes?
In Spain on the 5th of January most cities organize a parade, called “cabalcata de los Reyes” to recreate the historical night when the three kings came to see the baby Jesus and bring bearing gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense. The parade is, of course, adapted to each city, the biggest in Spain is held in Madrid where this year the three wise men will be accompanied by many famous scientists and inventors such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, etc.
In Valencia this year the event will start at 17:00 at la Escalera Real de la Marina de Valencia to receive Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar that ideally came with a catamaran. The 2 km long parade will then start at Paseo de la Alameda at six o’ clock, passing through el Puente de las Flores, continuing towards la Puerta del Mar, Calle de la Paz, Calle San Vincente and ending at Plaza del Ayuntamiento at around 7 p.m.
Tip: bring an umbrella with you, it’s a must to attend the parade as the three kings will throw candies and treats from the floats. Having an umbrella open at their arrival, will make you a great sweet catcher.
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