The Reyes Magos (The three wise men), the Cabalgata, the Roscón de Reyes and the Haba.
In Spain there is no baby Jesus, nor a Santa Claus that brings gifts during christmas. In Spain there are the Three Wise Men.The day and night of the Kings is one of the most important festivities in Spain. There are many traditions that come with this party, for example the letters to the Three Kings, the parade (Cabalgata), the Roscón de Reyes (a cake with candied fruit) and the bean (la haba)... This year enjoy Christmas with Spanish traditions.
Each 5th of January, in Spain they celebrate the night of Roscón de Reyes, the night where after the parade they bring gifts to those who have behaved well and coal to those who have not. The first Three Kings parade was held in Alcoy in 1866 and ever since it has spread out through the country, becoming one of the most anticipated days of the year.
The day after, the 6th of January, they celebrate the day of the kings or wise men (día de reyes), during which everyone enjoys their gifts while eating the traditional roscón de reyes. This is a typical round cake which is usually filled with cream and can be sprinkled with sugar and candied fruit. This sweet cake usually hides a bean and a small figurine (like the king) inside and comes with a hot chocolate. According to tradition, whoever finds the figurine will be crowned as “the king of the house” and whoever finds the bean must pay for the delicious cake.
The origin of the roscón de reyes dates back to the festivities of “Los Saturnales” which was celebrated in Roman times in honor of the god Saturn. Inside the cake there was a dried bean that represented prosperity. Whoever found it, if that person was a slave, got off that day and was treated like a king. Since the Church institutionalised the day of the kings, it became a Christian holiday in the West. That’s why there are many families that continue to share the Roscón de Reyes as a family on January 6th.
But the night of the kings is not only for children, but also for youngsters and adults. In many pubs and bars they organise “tardeos”, parties that begin after dinner.
So now that you know all about it, get ready and go out for a drink. Enjoy the Three Kings Parade and continue the party at a club. Tomorrow it will be time for breakfast: the traditional Roscón de Reyes and hot chocolate.