Spanish Oddities
The Three Kings from the Orient arrive in Spain
By h.b. - Jan 6, 2009 - 7:12 AM
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Thousands of children were on the streets of Spain last night to welcome the arrival of the Three Kings.
The Kings arrived from the Orient by boat, train, cable car, bus and even by lift to make sure that last night was a magical one across the towns and villages of Spain, sharing out sweets as they went.
This year showed the Kings were really quite modern: In many places the sweets were especially for diabetics, and in Madrid their float underlined the importance of the environment and water. 20,000 new low voltage lights welcomed their arrival.
In Barcelona they arrived on the Santa Eulàlia, a three-mast wooden boat dating from the start of the 20th century and made a call for peace.
In Palencia they used the oldest steam locomotive in use in Spain, built in Belgium in 1887.
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In Orense the Kings are joined by some royal shoe cleaners who go ahead of the monarchs making sure that the boys and girls shoes are cleaned and made magic so they can get their presents.
In the Sierra Nevada they arrived on ski, coming down from the peaks of Veleta with the pistes illuminated by torches.
In Algeciras the Kings only arrive when the children of the town have made as much noise as possible by dragging tins through the streets, and in Sierra in Huelva province, the whole town comes to a stand still, literally to allow the Kings to be the only ones allowed to move, and greet the children.