True to tradition
Only six days after & nbsp; New Year & nbsp; comes the most magical moment of the year, especially for the little ones, when they receive their gifts from the Holy Three Kings on January 6th. In Spain, it is they, Melchior, Kaspar and Baltasar, who bri
nger the Christmas presents for the children who have behaved nicely. After they have written a letter to the majesties to tell what they want, the long awaited date comes. The night before, the Holy Three Kings move through the streets of small and large cities in Spain in the traditional procession of camels laden with gifts and accompanied by the royal armorers, who distribute caramels and sweets. Little by little, the fun, ornate carriages pass by, surprising the whole family. Among all the parades that are celebrated, noted especially what is happening in our city and & nbsp; Alcoi , just north of Alicante, since it is the oldest in Spain. When night falls, the children go to bed early and wait for Melchior, Kaspar and Baltasar to come and hand over the toys.
Thick hot chocolate
In many Spaniards, the dining table is covered with hot chocolate and a round cake reminiscent of an almond border. The chocolate is hot, but it is much thicker than Danish cocoa milk. That’s why it says a spoon & nbsp; in chocolate. The cake is usually dipped in the hot chocolate, and eaten on Holy Three Kings’ evening or the morning after.
The Gifts
In Spain welcomes children themselves very much to the three holy kings tonight, for it is evening, when the Three Kings come bearing gifts for the children.
The night before Holy Three Kings’ night, everyone in the house polishes their shoes and puts them neatly in the hallway so the Holy Three Kings can put their gifts on each footwear.
In addition, we provide food and drink to the holy three kings and their camels. We usually always provide a large tub of water as well as a bundle of hay for the camels, and some food and milk for the three kings.
Great experience for the kids
For the children, it is a feast every year to make everything ready for Holy Three Kings’ evening. & Nbsp; Tradition believes & nbsp; the camels’ of course ‘& nbsp; drank all the water and ate the hay.
Many of the slightly older children & nbsp; still firmly believe that it is the Holy Three Kings who bring them the & nbsp; gifts each year.
Faith is broken
Children can believe in the Holy Three Kings for many more years than most children believe in Santa Claus, and this is probably because the evening of Holy Three Kings is closely linked to the Christian faith. Children can often & nbsp; be well over ten before they & nbsp; find out that it is & nbsp; their parents who removed the water, hay and food after they & nbsp; went to bed.
Tradition getting gifts from the Three Kings rather than Santa Claus hangs much better with the gospel.
The Spaniards want their & nbsp; children to continue to believe that it is the Holy Three Kings who come with the gifts.
Most people are not particularly fond of the figure of Santa Claus, which was invented by Coca Cola and has nothing to do with the Christmas gospel. For them, the tradition around Holy Three Kings’ Night is much more closely linked to the message of Christmas, so they & nbsp; continue to receive gifts from & nbsp; the Holy Three Kings, & nbsp; as long as the kids thought it was fun.
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