Three Kings Day in Spain

-

Three Kings Day, or Día de los Reyes in Spanish, falls on January the 6th every year. It's the day that most children in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries receive their Christmas presents. 

In the days leading up to January the 5th, children write letters to the Three Kings, Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthasar. In these letters, the children tell the kings how well they have behaved during the year and ask for the gifts they would like to receive on January 6th. In theory, the better the children behaved, the better their gifts will be. But all children know that if they misbehaved, they run the risk of receiving a piece of coal instead. Although, in truth, it is a "sweet" punishment because the coal is made of sugar.

The day before Three Kings Day is a day for parades and processions throughout Spain.
The young and young-at-heart alike line the streets of Madrid, Barcelona (where the kings arrive by boat), Alcoy (which hosts Spain's longest-running parade, dating back to 1885) and more, all eager to get a glimpse of the kings. 

The tradition says that the three kings (also known as the three wise men) had a mission to go to Bethlehem. They followed a star that showed them the way to see baby Jesus, who had just been born. Upon arriving, these three kings offered three gifts: gold, incense, and myrrh.


On the eve of January 5, children leave their shoes by the door with hopes that the three kings will leave gifts inside during their overnight visit. Since the three kings travel such a long distance and have a lot of work to do during the 5th and 6th of January, families traditionally leave water, turrón (a typical Christmas nougat), and milk out for the three kings and their camels to eat and drink.

Another essential part of Three Kings Day in Spain is the Roscon de los Reyes, or kings' cake. The ring-shaped pastry is decorated to look like a crown that a king would wear. It is often topped with glazed fruits, representing the colourful jewels on a crown. Buried inside it is a toy, often a figurine of baby Jesus or a tiny king. The person who finds it in their piece is said to have good luck for the year.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Santisima Trinidad - Spanish Galleon in Alicante Harbour

-
Image
The "Santisima Trinidad" is now moored in Alicante harbour. I visited there with my family and then the week after ate in the restaurant. I HIGHLY recommend a visit, either for a drink or for a meal. Here is the history behind this incredible ship. The "Santisima Trinidad" was launched in 1769 in the Habana (Cuba) navy yard. At that moment, the ship was known as "Escorial" (because Escorial refers to a great Spanish monastery) due to its magnificence and was the biggest and most armed vessel in the world. It took two years to build, was 63 metres (208 feet) long, 17 metres (55 feet) wide and 8 metres (27 feet) high. It weighed 4.950 tonnes, had 140 cannons and a 160 man crew. Several fine woods were used in its construction such as mahogany. The "Santisima Trinidad" took part in a lot of decisive historical events while it was crossing the seas. The galleon was the Spanish flagship in July 1779 during the American War of Independence when Spa...
Read more

How to not go "stir crazy" during this incredibly difficult time

-
Image
As many people are being told to stay at home during this awful time, many of us are learning what "stir-crazy" actually means!! We can only leave our homes if it is completely essential such as buying food, going to the pharmacy or attending vital hospital or doctor appointments. Some people even have to completely stay at home for 15 days if they "think" they have been exposed to someone with the disease. We are surrounded by cupboards and fridges full of food, we have Netflix, Prime Video, social media and friends or family in the next room or online. But even so, staying at home for a few weeks is an incredible challenge for all of us. All our lives have a routine. Be it taking the kids to school, meeting friends for a drink, going to work, going to the gym, walking the dog in the park, whatever it is, a major disruption in this routine causes us a huge amount of stress. The lack of those feelings of achievement such as a good workout, a productive ...
Read more