For most of us in the UK Monday, January 5 was the day we returned to reality (with slightly tighter trousers) after a few weeks of Christmas and New Year festivities. However, in Spain and many other Christian countries, January 6 is an important day in the calendar and another reason for a public holiday and celebrations.
January 6 is known as ‘Three Kings Day’ or Epiphany, a day that marks the end of the twelve days of Christmas and also celebrates the visit of the three kings who visited Christ in Bethlehem with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
In Spain this is a big day for partying and also the day when gifts are exchanged. In modern day Spain lots of people now give gifts on Christmas Day but some families still wait for Three Kings Day to give and receive gifts. Some greedy people even exchange gifts on both days! So, if you want double the presents at Christmas this year visiting Spain for New Year and Three Kings Day is a must!
Another good reason to visit Spain for Three Kings Day is the delicious, traditional ‘Three Kings Cake’ or ‘La Rosca de Reyes’ that is eaten on this day. It is similar to French Brioche or Italian Panettone. The cake is always decorated with a symbol of Jesus Christ as a baby using an almond, dried bean or raisin. Often people add a trinket or a small plastic baby into the mix and whoever gets the slice of cake with this in has various privileges and good luck bestowed on them. The cake is meant to be eaten for breakfast on January 6 so if you have a sweet tooth this is great news!
The celebrations for Kings Day usually kick off at dusk on January 5 when there is a parade through the streets in most Spanish towns and villages. Traditionally, the Three Kings; Melchor, Gazpar and Baltasar should ride camels in the parade; however more often than not they are on colourful trailers or floats that have been decorated for the occasion. The kings throw out gifts of sweets for the crowds and children leave with bags full of treats.
If you fancy being a part of Three Kings Day in 2016 why not book a New Year’s holiday on the Costa del Sol with Panoramic Villas? We have a range of great villas with heated pools so you can enjoy a relaxing break and a dip in the pool in much milder weather than the UK. You also get to eat cake for breakfast, exchange more presents and enjoy another night of partying after Christmas and New Year are over. What’s not to like?
