Three Kings Procession to light up the Costa del Sol

For many of us, the euphoria and over-indulgences of Christmas are well and truly over and the excesses of New Year’s Eve have prompted us to put our best foot forward and enact our New Year’s Resolutions for 2018…

This weekend, however, there is a palpable fever all across Spain – especially amongst children – surrounding El Día de los Reyes, or Three Kings Day, on January 6.

This represents the arrival of the Three Kings – also commonly referred to as the Three Wise Men – to Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus, having been guided from far-away lands by a bright star. Sound familiar?

Although presents will be opened and gift cards exchanged tomorrow, The Three Kings Procession on January 5 is the event that thousands of families up and down the country await with bated breath. This opulent spectacle of colour, music and religious significance spills through the streets of every Spanish town worth its salt and brings every man, woman and child out in awe to line the streets.

Here on the Costa del Sol, Marbella, Málaga, Torremolinos and Mijas are just some of the destinations where you will be able to enjoy the processions this evening. The largest and best attended of these processions is through the streets of Málaga, where eleven themed floats will follow three huge floats protagonised by Balthasar, Melchior and Gaspar.

Málaga’s Three Kings Procession kicks off at 18:00 this evening; starting in Avenida de Cervantes, winding its way through the beautiful old town and ending up in Plaza de la Merced. It truly is a must do for expats living in Spain, but be sure to arrive early if you want to get a good view of the procession, since crowds gather quickly!

Children will be in seventh heaven, since the Three Kings are set to distribute as many as 12 tonnes of sweets (equivalent to around 4 million units) – sugar free and gluten free, of course – on their travels through Málaga this evening.

It seems the organisers have learnt from one procession in the district of Ciudad Lineal, Madrid, where yesterday the globetrotting Wise Men “only” had 6 tonnes of sweets to hand out and the procession had to be held up for 30 minutes until stocks were replenished!

A word of warning, then: if your 2018 New Year’s Resolution was to cut down on chocolate and sweet foods, make the start date effective next Monday!

¡Feliz Día de Reyes!