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What Happens On The 5Th Of January In Spain?

What Happens On The 5Th Of January In Spain
January 5: The Three Kings Day parade – Festivities officially start the day before the actual feast day of los reyes magos. On January 5, parades take place throughout the country to celebrate the arrival of the kings. Spanish families line the streets of their hometown to get a glimpse of the  cabalgata de los reyes magos, or Three Kings Day parade.

What happens on 5th and 6th January in Spain?

In the first week of January, just as the rest of the Christmas-celebrating world is reluctantly getting back into their routines and probably kick-starting a healthy diet and fitness plan, Spanish children are waiting expectantly for the Three Wise Men to arrive.

  • After Christmas and New Year , the lucky Spanish still have another family day of celebration to come, in the form of the arrival of the Reyes Magos , the Wise Men from the East who followed a star and came bearing gifts for the Baby Jesus;

The 6 th of January is always a bank holiday in Spain, spinning out the festivities for an extra week. But why is the Epiphany holiday in Spain such a big deal and how is it celebrated? Read on to find out a bit about the history of the Reyes Magos day , and why Spanish children have to wait until the 6 th of January to get their Christmas presents.

  1. Ever wondered what the ’12 days of Christmas’ actually are, beyond just an excuse for a good sing-along? Officially, Christmas kicks off on the 25 th of December and carries on until the 6 th of January;

In the UK, the 6 th of January is generally a bit of a depressing day, as it’s the day you’re meant to take your Christmas decorations down, as leaving them up any longer is supposed to be bad luck. But in Spain, the Feast of the Epiphany or the Three Kings’ Day is a celebration of the adoration of the baby Jesus by the Three Wise Men, also known as the Magi, or the Three Kings.

Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar travelled to present baby Jesus with three symbolic gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh. They’re said to have ridden on a horse, a camel and an elephant. This feast is celebrated all over the Christian world, but it’s traditionally just marked by mass, although there are other Epiphany celebrations that go on.

In many Catholic countries, it’s also a bank holiday, but in most places, it isn’t associated with gift giving, despite the Three Wise Men’s gifts. In Spain, however, the fact that the Three Wise Men brought gifts to Jesus meant that, when the tradition of gifts being brought by Father Christmas began to spread in other countries, the Spanish custom of the gifts being brought by the Three Kings spread up as a kind of imitation of it, with more of a religious slant.

  • The celebrations of the arrival of the biblical wise men to Bethlehem kick off on the 5 th of January;
  • Since the 19 th century, Spanish towns and cities have been putting on parades to mark the occasion;

There might be floats with effigies of each of the Three Wise Men in the parade, or they might be played by local dignitaries. Either way, these are big, colourful parades that make their way through the main streets of the town, throwing handfuls of sweets out over the crowds.

  • These are fun, light-hearted parades, in contrast to the sombre parades during Holy Week, or Semana Santa;
  • Just like children waiting up for Father Christmas, Spanish children have to get to bed early after watching the parades, to make sure they don’t miss the Wise Men bearing gifts;
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They leave their best pair of shoes, sparkling clean, outside their doors to be filled with gifts. Again, just like with Father Christmas, Spanish children write letters to the Three Wise Men before the big day and leave out snacks and drinks for their camels.

Naughty children might get sweet ‘coal’ in their shoes instead of gifts. In the past, this was the only day that Spanish children received presents, but these days many lucky kids get presents from Father Christmas as well.

The 6 th is another family day, with everyone coming together to watch the kids unwrapping presents, and there’s normally another big family meal. The day wouldn’t be complete without the traditional Roscón de Reyes , sweet circular bread with sugar and dried fruits on top.

There’s a little model of a king or queen hidden inside, and whoever finds it gets to be king or queen for the day. There’s also normally a bean in there, and whoever gets that has to buy the sweet treat the following year.

What better way to kick off a new year than treating yourself to a holiday? There might not be any Three Wise Men coming to bring you presents, but that doesn’t mean you can’t give yourself the ultimate gift and spend a few days in Spain right at the start of the year.

  • Skip the depressing, post-New Year slump when the nights are at their shortest and all the Christmas lights are being taken down and head south for some much-needed sunshine;
  • See the Epiphany celebration in Spain for yourself, whether it’s in one of the country’s stunning big cities , on the sun-kissed south coast, or even in the Canary Islands, where it’s spring all year round;

Take the kids and let them enjoy the magic of this quintessentially Spanish experience, all whilst staying in one of the best family friendly hotels .

What happens on the 6 of January in Spain?

The day of the Epiphany occurs on 6 January, and is said to be the day when the Three Kings or Wise Men arrived in Bethlehem to give their gifts to baby Jesus. In Spain, this day is known as Kings’ Day or the Día de Los Reyes, and is celebrated just like a second Christmas, with feasting and the giving of presents.

How long does 3 Kings Day last?

LAS VEGAS (KTNV)  — Three Kings Day or ‘El Dia De Los Reyes’ marks the biblical adoration of baby Jesus by the three wise men. On Jan. 6, those who believe pay homage and celebrate the three wise men who traveled for 12 days to give gifts to Jesus Christ in Bethlehem.

  1. The holiday is traditionally celebrated by many of Catholic and Christian faith backgrounds, in Latin America, Spain and the United States;
  2. A popular tradition during the holiday is gift-giving, holding large feasts and indulging in ‘Rosca De Reyes’ or King Cake;
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#ThreeKingsDay or ‘El Dia De Los Reyes’ marks the biblical adoration of baby Jesus by the 3 Wise Men. Learn the history of this holiday next on #GMLV @KTNV pic. twitter. com/kgae0vKMyZ — Alicia Pattillo (@aliciapattillo) January 6, 2021 King Cake is a special bread with fruit and sugar that comes in the shape of a crown.

Inside the cake, a baby Jesus doll is hidden, whoever finds the doll will receive good luck and must throw a party on Feb. La Bonita Supermarkets have seven locations throughout the valley and say they sell more than 1,000 King Cakes during the holiday season.

Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

What do Spanish do on Kings day?

January 5: The Three Kings Day parade – Festivities officially start the day before the actual feast day of los reyes magos. On January 5, parades take place throughout the country to celebrate the arrival of the kings. Spanish families line the streets of their hometown to get a glimpse of the  cabalgata de los reyes magos, or Three Kings Day parade.

What gifts are given on 3 Kings Day?

A Holiday With Rich History – According to the biblical story, the Three Kings (also called wise men or magi), named Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar, followed the Star of Bethlehem to find the birthplace of the Christ Child. They presented the baby Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh on January 6th, precisely twelve days after Christmas.

  • These gifts were symbolic of the baby’s destiny: gold represented the belief Jesus would be king of the Jews, frankincense symbolized his divine nature and myrrh represented the suffering Jesus would eventually endure in his lifetime;

Because of the cultural importance of this story, nativity scenes are often a part of Latinx households as a way to celebrate the arrival of the three kings. “As a kid growing up in Colombia, we created this huge manger. We had the three kings figures ‘walk’ slowly and steadily as the days progressed.

Does Spain have Santa Claus?

The Three Kings – One of the most unique facts about Christmas in Spain is that there’s no Santa Claus. Forget Saint Nick – in Spain, it’s the Three Kings or the Three Wise Men (known as Reyes Magos – Melchior, Gaspar and Baltazar) who bring the gifts to good children at Christmas time.

  • They also don’t come on Christmas Eve;
  • Instead, towns and cities hold huge Three Kings parades (‘cabalgatas’) on the night of January 5th, where the Kings parade through the towns on floats and throw out sweets for the kids;

It’s one of the most wonderful Spanish Christmas traditions you can’t miss! When the families return home, they leave out their shoes for the Kings to fill with gifts during the night. If it’s too long to wait for pressies, don’t worry. These days, some kids in Spain also open a few presents on Christmas day too, so you can have double the fun! That’s also not the only version of Santa Claus in Spain.

  • In Galicia, a mythical coal miner called El Apalpador feels children’s stomachs to see if they’ve been eating well and leaves behind little treats like chestnuts and sweets;
  • The Basques also have their own, more rugged, version of Santa – the mythical giant Olentzero;
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He wears peasants clothing, smokes a pipe and brings gifts for children on Christmas Eve, in return for food and alcohol. RELATED CONTENT: Northern Spain Holidays: Discovering the Green Side of Spain.

Is January 6th a holiday in Spain?

The Three Kings Day in Spain – In the first week of January , while the rest of the world is returning to their normal routines after the Christmas vacation, Spanish children are impatiently awaiting the arrival of the Three Kings. It’s another very traditional Christmas celebration of Christian origin. What Happens On The 5Th Of January In Spain Today, on the night of the 5th of January, the Three Kings (Melchior, Gaspar and Balthasar) also bring presents for all the children who have behaved well throughout the year. In order to get the presents, Spanish children write a letter to the Three Kings asking for the specific things they would like to receive. Children that have misbehaved that year are given a lump of coal instead of presents. However, they don’t usually mind because it’s typically a sweet edible treat, rather than normal coal.

It is said that the Three Kings (Melchior, Gaspar and Balthasar) travelled by camel from the East to Bethlehem guided by a star to see the newborn baby Jesus. Upon arrival, they offered three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.

This day is called The Epiphany or the Feast of the Three Kings, and it’s the last Christmas holiday in Spain. It’s celebrated on the 5th and 6th of January. What Happens On The 5Th Of January In Spain carbón dulce What Happens On The 5Th Of January In Spain Niños con regalos.

Is January 6th a holiday in Spain?

In Spain, Epiphany on January 6 is a public holiday and the day people exchange most of their Christmas presents. What Happens On The 5Th Of January In Spain The three kings are also called wise men or magi. ©iStockphoto. com/Liliboas.

What is celebrated on January 6th in Spanish speaking countries?

The Three Kings’ Day, also known as the Feast Of The Epiphany, is a Christian festivity that takes place on January 6 and celebrates the birth of Jesus.

Is Spain fun in January?

Where to Go – January is a great time to visit historic Andalusian cities like Granada and Seville while also allowing time for an excursion to Barcelona. Sure, it will be too cold to swim, but you can still luxuriate in Catalonia’s culture, stroll the Ramblas, enjoy the nightlife, and indulge in all the great food.

  • If you are desperate for sunbathing, even in January, you’d do well to head to the Canary Islands;
  • More so than Mallorca or Ibiza , you stand the best chance of lucking out with some halfway sunny weather;

After all, the high temps hover around 70°F (21°C). And if you’re a winter sports fan, you can find good skiing in Spain in January. The Sierra Nevada Mountains , near the southern coast, has some of the country’s best skiing/snowboarding conditions. Another good destination is Zaragoza , the capital of Spain’s Aragon region.

Is January a good month to visit Spain?

Peace and quiet – Crowds not your thing? Then January – February is probably the best time for you to visit Spain. Seeing as it’s off-season, you won’t find throngs of tourists invading some of the most popular destinations like Granada, Seville and Barcelona. What Happens On The 5Th Of January In Spain Massimo Santi/Shutterstock. com.