Cabalgata de Los Reyes Magos

Before I skip ahead to my Morocco trip, I want to at least mention the Cabalgata de Los Reyes Magos. As I mentioned in a prior post, the major holiday gift giving occasion in Spain is not Christmas Day or even Christmas Eve. The main event actually falls more than a week after the Christmas, on what is sometimes referred to as the Day of the Epiphany (January 6) or El Día de Los Tres Reyes in the Spanish-speaking world. The holiday commemorates the visit of the three kings (Melchor, Gaspar, and Baltasar) to the infant Jesus. Traditionally, children leave their shoes out at night and in the morning they are filled with sweets and other presents.

In Sevilla, as in other towns across Spain, the ayuntamiento (city government) working in conjunction with other groups (most notably the Ateneo de Sevilla in this case) puts on an elaborate production.

On January 4, three men, usually leading local figures, appear before city hall dressed to play the part (including the use of black face paint for King Balthasar!) with an entourage of participants so as to ask the alcalde (mayor) for the right to parade through town the following day. On January 5, the cabalgata, or “cavalcade,” weaves through the city during the late afternoon and evening for upwards of six hours. The floats range in theme from the carriages of the kings themselves to space shuttles and curious homage to Indiana Jones. As the holiday is largely a children’s celebration, children ride on top tossing caramelos (hard candies, not caramels) to the waving spectators.

It seems maximizing one’s personal take of caramelos from the event is somewhat of a closely guarded secret among Spaniards. The best locations to watch the event are staked out early and terraces overlooking the parade route are shared only with the closest of friends. I was especially impressed by the upturned umbrellas used on the streets. Even if one were to make out poorly on the streets, there should be a Roscón de Reyes waiting back home. This treat, a cross between a traditional fruit cake and a New Orleans-style “king cake,” is only available in the week leading up to January 6, and makes for a slightly better than usual daily merienda, or mid-afternoon snack.