Los Reyes Magos

Ouch, ooohhhhh, my head hurts. Joined in the procession of los reyos magos suitably attired in hard hat. You don't really stand a chance when hard boiled sweets are raining down on you by the '000's. I ducked and dived but to no avail. With bruised eyes and sticky paws I made it to the church square where I drowned my sorrows with copious cups of sweet hot chocolate. Yummy. Must work on a protection plan for next year.

Factoid: While most of the world has already begun packing up the Christmas ornaments, throwing out the tree, and finding a place for all of their gifts, Spaniards are continuing the celebration. January 6, Three King’s Day, is the long awaited day in which the three Kings bring their gifts. On January 5, children go to a parade where they see the three kings arrive to their city, and take the opportunity to ask them for gifts. Later, before going to bed, children leave their shoes out in a visible spot in the house or on their balcony, go to bed hoping that when they wake up they will find gifts left by Mechior, Gaspar, and Balthasar. For breakfast or after lunch, families often have the typical dessert of the day, the “Roscón de los Reyes”, a large ring shaped cake that is decorated with candied fruits, symbolic of the emeralds and rubies that adorned the robes of the three kings. Somewhere inside the cake there is a surprise, and the person to find it will be crowned King or Queen of the house for the remainder of the day.