Three kings parade Valencia
After Christmas and New Years it is not yet done with the holidays in Spain. Especially the children are looking forward to ¨Reyes magos¨ the three kings on 5 and 6 January.
Three wise men are Melchoir, Caspar and Balthazar they give presents to the children who have been sweet. The children who have been naughty will get ¨carbon¨ charcoal now made of candy so that is not a real punishment either. To make sure that the children get what they want they write a letter to the kings with a wish list. The helpers of the wise man will be in the city before so kids can leave their letters.
January 5th the parade of the three kings – Cabalgata de Reyes
The three kings arrive in the city and make a spectacular parade with floats through the streets. The royal helpers throw candies to the children. In every city the parade is slightly different but in Valencia the three kings arrive in the harbor on a boat at 17.00. The parade through the center starts at 18.00 and will be 2 kilometers. The parade goes along the following streets:
three kings parade Valencia
Navarro Reverter, Porta de la Mar, General Palanca, General Tovar, La Paz, Plaza de la Reina, San Vicente, Plaza del Ayuntamiento y Marqués de Sotelo.
At Plaza ayuntamiento the parade will end festively with dance, music and how can it be different in Valencia … Fireworks!
January 6 holiday and roscon de reyes
Throughout the night, the three kings work hard to get all the presents to the children. They enter through the window and leave the presents in the shoes of the kids. January 6 is a public holiday throughout Spain, families come together and eat a Roscon de Reyes. In the roscon de Reyes there are 2 figurines hidden, a bean and a figurine of a wise man, baby jezus or a little toy like that. Bad luck if you find the bean, this means you have to pay the Roscon or bake the Roscon next year. You will have good luck if you find the figurine, you can be the king of the day and can put on the crown that comes with the roscon.
