Costa Blanca,
Fiestas
The Three Kings parade in towns and villages in Spain on the night of January 5th each year
Dec 20, 2016 - 2:57 PM
Alcoy Cabalgata - The oldest Three Kings parade in Spain
The Three Kings parade in towns and villages in Spain on the night of January 5th each year
Dec 20, 2016 - 2:57 PM
While more and more homes in Spain are receiving visits from Papa Noel at Christmas, the 6th of January is traditionally the time when children receive their gifts, brought to them on the Día de los Reyes, the Day of the Kings, by the Three Kings, the Reyes Magos.
It’s preceded the evening before by a parade through the streets, the Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos which takes place across Spain as dusk falls on 5th January, when crowds of children eagerly follow the procession to collect the rain of sweets thrown down by Sus Majestades.
Alcoy, in Alicante province, proudly boasts the oldest cabalgata in Spain, and possibly, the Town Hall says, even the world. It’s been celebrated without interruption since 1885, but the Three Wise Men’s first entrance into the town is documented as having taken place almost two decades previously, in 1866. Declared a Fiesta of National Tourist Interest in 2001, the procession today involves more than one thousand locals, playing the part of pages, torch bearers, servants and soldiers from their majesties’ personal guard, the local music and dance groups …. and, of course, the most important roles of Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar, riding slowly through the town on their camels.
Their arrival has been officially announced the day before by the Royal Envoy reading out the proclamation which heralds the news throughout the town. Children rush out when they hear the cry to post their letters to the Reyes Magos in the letterboxes carried on the backs of the donkeys which accompany the Envoy along the route.
The letters are read by Sus Majestades that night, and the following day, it is the royal pages, known as ‘els negres’ who have the job of handing over the presents to the children, collecting hundreds of packages which are carried along on the lorries which follow the procession. They run through the streets to deliver the gifts, and many are seen scaling long wooden ladders to climb over the balconies into the houses.
Alcoy’s Christmas celebrations also include a puppet performance which the Town Hall says may be, along with a similar show in Cádiz, the oldest surviving puppel show in Spain. Known as the ‘Betlem de Tirisiti’, it has been held as part of the Christmas celebrations for more than one hundred years, a theatre performance where the figures are controlled from below the stage by their puppeteers, who remain unseen to the audience. It’s become so popular over the years that the performance season now starts at the beginning of December to give the thousands who want to see the show the chance to see a performance.
Another event dating from the late 19th Century is ‘Les Pastoretes’ – ‘the little shepherds’, where children dressed up as shepherds parade with their flocks to the stable where they will pay homage to the new-born baby Jesus. It is usually held on the Sunday prior to 5th January, and has been taking place since 1889.
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It’s preceded the evening before by a parade through the streets, the Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos which takes place across Spain as dusk falls on 5th January, when crowds of children eagerly follow the procession to collect the rain of sweets thrown down by Sus Majestades.
Alcoy, in Alicante province, proudly boasts the oldest cabalgata in Spain, and possibly, the Town Hall says, even the world. It’s been celebrated without interruption since 1885, but the Three Wise Men’s first entrance into the town is documented as having taken place almost two decades previously, in 1866. Declared a Fiesta of National Tourist Interest in 2001, the procession today involves more than one thousand locals, playing the part of pages, torch bearers, servants and soldiers from their majesties’ personal guard, the local music and dance groups …. and, of course, the most important roles of Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar, riding slowly through the town on their camels.
Their arrival has been officially announced the day before by the Royal Envoy reading out the proclamation which heralds the news throughout the town. Children rush out when they hear the cry to post their letters to the Reyes Magos in the letterboxes carried on the backs of the donkeys which accompany the Envoy along the route.
The letters are read by Sus Majestades that night, and the following day, it is the royal pages, known as ‘els negres’ who have the job of handing over the presents to the children, collecting hundreds of packages which are carried along on the lorries which follow the procession. They run through the streets to deliver the gifts, and many are seen scaling long wooden ladders to climb over the balconies into the houses.
Alcoy’s Christmas celebrations also include a puppet performance which the Town Hall says may be, along with a similar show in Cádiz, the oldest surviving puppel show in Spain. Known as the ‘Betlem de Tirisiti’, it has been held as part of the Christmas celebrations for more than one hundred years, a theatre performance where the figures are controlled from below the stage by their puppeteers, who remain unseen to the audience. It’s become so popular over the years that the performance season now starts at the beginning of December to give the thousands who want to see the show the chance to see a performance.
Another event dating from the late 19th Century is ‘Les Pastoretes’ – ‘the little shepherds’, where children dressed up as shepherds parade with their flocks to the stable where they will pay homage to the new-born baby Jesus. It is usually held on the Sunday prior to 5th January, and has been taking place since 1889.
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