La Fiesta de Los Reyes: Celebrating Three Kings Day

Until recent years, January 6^th had only meant one thing to me – the twelfth night – or, more importantly, the day you should have all your Christmas decorations packed away until next year.

[Image credit: (cc) Paul and Jill]

La Fiesta de Los Reyes which takes place in Spain each year on January 6^th is a celebration of the day the Three Kings arrived in Bethlehem to present the baby Jesus with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. It is also the most important day for Spanish children, as they receive their gifts from the Three Kings rather than Father Christmas (although Santa is becoming increasingly popular).

The fun starts the evening before (January 5^th) usually with big parades passing though every town and city. During the late afternoon, the crowds grow in anticipation of the arrival of the Three Kings on huge motorized floats.

[Image credit: (cc) Paul and Jill]

As daylight fades away, you can hear the drums and music of the approaching parade, heralding the arrival of the Three Kings. People on the floats throw boiled sweets out towards the waiting crowds on either side. Beware! Some of the children on the floats can be rather enthusiastic throwers, with sweets being hurled out like missiles! It´s quite easy to get your eye taken out! Many in the crowd come prepared, holding up-turned umbrellas to catch the booty, whilst others just scrabble around the ground, stuffing the fallen sweets in their pockets or bags. It´s quite a sight to see adults scuttling around grabbing sweets off the floor totally without embarrassment – in fact, it´s easy to get caught up in the excitement of it all!

After the parade, most families head home where, before going to bed, the children will put out something nice to eat and drink for the Three Kings, plus water for their camels. They also leave out their best pair of shoes to be filled with presents. The next morning, if the children have been good then they will find presents in and around their shoes, if not, then only a lump of coal will have been left for them – though I suspect that doesn´t happen very often.

On January 6^th, most families gather around the breakfast table to enjoy their Roscón de Reyes. This is a ring-shaped bun or sweet bread, sugar-frosted and decorated with fruit flavoured jellies and fruit. The bun is sliced in half and filled with a mock cream mixture. Hidden somewhere in the cream will be a novelty such as small model king and, if you are lucky enough to find one of the hidden figurines in your portion, then tradition has it that you will be blessed with good luck for the coming year.