People in Spain call this day several different names: the Epiphany, The Day of the Three Kings, but most frequently The Day of the King's Wise men (Dia de los Reyes Magos) or the Day of the Magi, (the holiday of the Epiphany).
The most used name for the holiday is Day of the King's Magi (Dia de los Reyes Magos). This name is generally associated with three pagan kings-magi, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, who came to bring gifts and blessings to the new-born baby Jesus in Bethlehem. These characters become play the most important role during the holiday of the Epiphany.
On January 5th, on the night before the Epiphany, pompous celebrative processions pass through all the big cities and towns of Spain. The length of these processions sometimes reaches several kilometers. Heading the parades are kids with drums, following them in large carriages come parents with their children, and behind is a brass band. The procession is closed by a carriage with the three king's wise men. The three king's wise men generously give away candy and toys to the children who are running around. In different regions of Spain the holiday is celebrated in a slightly different manner: in some place the kings are accompanied by a military escort and a military brass band, in other places they ride into the city on camels. One thing remains the same – in all the places where the holiday is celebrated it's one of the happiest time of the year for all the children. The three kings in Spain are like Santa Claus in Russia.
After the parade kids and their parents set up a table with food and drinks and leave it overnight, and the king's wise men come to replenish themselves on the night between January 5th and 6th. All the kids polish their shoes to shine brightly and place them outside their doors filled with hay. These shoes symbolize that there is food waiting for the kings, and after trying out the meals kings leave presents in the shoes and continue their journey. If a child does not behave well during a given year, the kings will leave coals in the shoes. Usually these are also candies that look almost exactly like real coals. These candies are widely available for sale in Spain at this time of year.
A traditional food treat is the cake of the kings. The pretzels are baked in different sizes, sometimes very big. The cake of the kings is cut up into pieces and shared among all the family members. The piece that has the chip is the lucky piece. Usually parents make sure ahead of time that the lucky piece goes to the child. At the same time the children must write a letter to the three kings ahead of time.
On the day of the Epiphany, according to the tradition, people in Spain sanctify water, incense sticks, and chalk, which they use to write the first letters of the three kings on their doors: "C+M+B". According to the common belief, the inscription will chase away evil spirits and ill thoughts away from the home and will preserve the family for the whole year to come. The chalk is kept safely for the rest of the year. Also, there is a tradition of burning fires – Epiphany fires, to light the way of the three kings. According to the legend, the three kings travel by foot across the whole country and go to Bethlehem. The day of the three kings marks the end of Christmas holidays in Spain.
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