Cavalcade of Magi
January 5, Thursday
The "Three Wise Men Parade" is a traditional parade with floats carrying the wise men taking place in practically all Spanish cities and villages (known in Spanish as Cabalgata de Reyes Magos, in Galician as A Cabalgata dos Reis Magos and in Basque as Errege magoen desfilea, in Catalan Cavalcada de Reis, in Esperanto as Kavalkado de la Tri Reĝoj), in Andorra and Argentina, in some cities and towns in Mexico and Gibraltar. The Magi (of which tradition holds there were three: Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar) ride through the streets, as their pages (both boys and girls) collect children's letters to the kings and also throw candy to children. The cavalcade usually includes dancers, musicians, and pages, as well as other assistants to the kings.
The first Cavalcade in Spain is documented from 1855 in Barcelona, and the longest-standing cavalcade is in Alcoi, in the Valencian Country, where it has been celebrated uninterruptedly since 1866.