How does two rounds of Christmas gifts sound? Pretty good to me! Strolling the streets of Toledo this past Thursday, January 5, I was pleasantly surprised to find children dancing in the streets to Spanish Christmas carols over excitement for presents to arrive after dark. Little did I know, I was cluelessly touring Spain during the Epiphany!
Spaniards take “The Twelve Days of Christmas” to a new level. They not only do they decide to fiesta the day that baby Jesus was born, but they also celebrate the entire journey of the three kings that traveled twelve days to bring gifts to baby Jesus! The day the kings arrived to baby Jesus with gifts, the Epiphany, is on January 6th and is also known as Three Kings Day. In Spain , this is called, el día de Reyes. Rafael or as we called him “Rafa”, our savvy tour guide, narrated to thirty of us lively University of Delaware students on my trip, stories and traditions of the celebration. Here in Spain, he explained that children call “Santa” Papá Noel. Also, unlike the States, Christmas morning creates less excitement for children in Spain because the festival lasts twelve days! Traditionally, Spanish families tend to devour their “Christmas feast” on Christmas Eve which is also known as Nochebuena or "the Good Night", before heading out to a Midnight Mass. This is followed by a massive blowout in the streets. It is common to see guitars, hear music, and carry torches throughout the neighborhood in celebration on Christmas Eve.
Christmas morning in Spain is slightly less magical than in the States, although children do receive gifts from Papá Noel, it's generally to a much lesser extent. The big gift reveal is saved for the final morning of the celebration on the Epiphany.
However, the party does rage on during the twelve days when children have off of school. December 28th is the Día de Los Santos Inocentes' or 'Day of the Innocent Saints' which honors the babies killed by King Herod who was trying to kill baby Jesus. This somber holiday is actually celebrated much like April fool’s day in the US. 'Inocente, inocente' people call each other when they been pranked. Newspapers and TV will play along too and run fake news stories. So be careful to believe what you read in Spain on December 28th!
These small celebrations all lead up to the grand eve of Three Kings Day or Dia de Los Reyes Magos. January 5th the real merriment begins. I had the opportunity to be one of the estimated 650,000 sardines packed into five square kilometers to watch the Three Kings Day Parade in Madrid’s town center. Standing in the crowd, I was surrounded by loads of children restlessly throwing loud poppers on the ground, locals with puppies, and walls of police trucks or “policia”. Nevertheless, looking up at the grand town hall, I could have sworn I was in a fairytale as glitter and balloons floated above the majestic castle-like building. For almost two and half hours, parade floats filled the streets and people stood on their feet just to catch a glimpse of the festivities most likely via a giant TV monitor that was set up for the large crowd. My personal favorite was an acrobat dancer that floated above the sky in a white hoop attached to white balloons artfully shimming herself through and around the hoop. Ultimately, though, the cherry on top of the event was most definitely the post parade fireworks that lit up the sky above the incredible edifice that is the center of Madrid.
However, if you're not in Madrid, you are watching the parade on TV! Later on, excited children and families partake in another feast. After their bellies are full, the little ones will leave polished shoes along with sweets and a glass of wine under their Christmas tree or outside their home to await the arrival of the three kings. When they wake up, children find a tree stocked with presents and a yummy Rosa con de Los Reyes for breakfast. Our tour guide, Rafa, claims this sweet delicacy is one of his favorites and the children look forward to it year-round. This donut-shaped bread is sweet and peppered with dried, candied fruits and contains a creamy filling. After soaking up this grand final day of celebration, children gear up to go back to school after a long holiday break.
Now, I don’t know about you, but twelve days of Christmas sounds pretty sweet to me! And after three days in Madrid, I have to say I don’t think the party stops after the Epiphany! The culture I have explored in my first days abroad between Toledo and Madrid has shown me a different, more relaxed way of life. Rafa, our charming tour guide treated us Delawareans like family from the moment we met him! He was even dancing in the streets with the children like most adults as us Americans stood awkwardly and watched due to a serious lack of rhythm and confidence. “You are too nervous,” he said to us. Well, I guess I will just have to learn to join the party!
