Holiday's 3 wise men return to Spanish streets without COVID restrictions

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ISTANBUL (AA) – As part of Spain’s holiday season, the country on Thursday will start celebrations of Three Kings Day with traditional parades and showers of candy for children, but happily without recent years’ coronavirus restrictions.

Due to the coronavirus, the three wise men – who play a similar Christmas role as Santa Claus – were not able to throw out candy for the last two years.

Although the holiday falls on Jan. 6, on the evening of every Jan. 5, celebrations begin with the arrival of the three wise men on major streets of Spain – symbolizing their arrival in Bethlehem to give gifts to the baby Jesus, whose birth Christmas celebrates. As they pass by, the trio throws out handfuls of candies to rain down on crowds of spectators.

On the evening of Jan. 5, children traditionally leave a clean pair of shoes outside their doors for gifts so they can open their presents on the Three Kings Day.

This year's parades will take place, according to Spanish news agency EFE, in such cities as Seville, Cadiz, Oviedo, Las Palmas, Tenerife, Toledo, Guadalajara, Castile and Leon, Barcelona, Madrid, and Pamplona.

The oldest parade in the country will take place in Alcoy, Alicante, marking its 138th year.

In the parade in Toledo, a record number of candies, about 6.5 tons, will be tossed to the waiting crowds.

More than 10,000 people are expected to attend the traditional parade in the capital Madrid.