Tag: Reyes Magos

Three Kings Day It is still Christmas in Madrid: Who are the 3 Wise Men ? While in most of Europe people and mainly the children are looking forward to Christmas on the 24th or 25th of December, in Spain and in Southamerica the children can't wait to see the “Three Wise Men” / "Three Holy Kings". Actually, in Spanish it sounds much more magic, as the “Reyes Magos” – if you translate the words one to one – mean “the Magic Kings”. Doesn't it sound much more promising then someone being wise? Who wants wisdom when we can have magic? In Madrid, as in the whole of Spain, the “Reyes Magos” are the Three Wise Men / Three Holy Kings from the East (Balthazar, Melchior and Caspar) who followed a star and came bearing gifts for the Baby Jesus. This special day is celebrated on the 6th of January - Three Kings Day. A few weeks before this important date, the children will write a letter to the “Kings” to ask for their wishes, be it a toy, a bike, sweets or even a new job for the mother or the father if the child is very worried. Most children deliver the letters to the King in their city or during the fantastic Kings Parade on the 5th of January in the evening. As is tradition, the parade starts at 6.30pm in Nuevos Ministerios at the corner with San Juan de la Cruz, and from there heads down the Paseo de la Castellana and finally finishes at Plaza de Cibeles with the traditional holiday message between 8.30pm and 9pm. Dress warmly and come prepared to catch all the sweets you can! (Three Kings' Day, January 6, is an official national holiday.) On this significant day, once the Three Holy