Just one more special day left for the end of Christmas time in Barcelona!
January 6th is the day of the Three Wise Men (Tres Reis Mags, in Catalan) or the Epiphany. We celebrate that the Three Wise Men followed the shooting star to find the baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Betlehem and brough him gold, incense and mirrh as gifts.
This is why that's the traditional day in Spain for kids to get their presents (despite Santa Claus invading our lifes lately due to globalisation...).
Everything starts with the child writting a letter to his/her favorite Wise Men: Melcior (the White), Gaspar (the Blond) or Baltasar (the Black), about the presents they'd like to get for having been good kids during the year.
They take the letter to a Wise Men Page (this year you can find one at the Virreina Palace in La Rambla, and there is usually one near any Corte Inglés as well.
On the 5th the Three Wise Men arrive to all cities and parade around the streets. In Barcelona they'll arrive by boat at the Moll de la Fusta pier at 5pm, then proceed to the Ciutadella Park before starting their parade crossing the whole city towards Montjuic at 6.30pm. Everything about their itinerary and the Wise Men time in Barcelona, and much more about Christmas in the city here.
After the parade or "Cavalcada", all children must quickly go back home, eat dinner and go early to bed. But before they'll make sure to leave some cava wine and turron for the Wise Men, and some water and old bread for their camels. We also leave a shoe so they know who leaves in the house and needs to get some presents.
The next day, when the family wakes up, presents will be there for everybody. And after that, usually starts an itinerary around the houses of other relatives (grandparents, uncles and aunts, close friends...) to see if the Wise Men left anything for the kids as well.
After that, there is a family big meal that always finishes with the traditional Tortell de Reis, a marsipan bread dough similar to Mardi Gras King Cake. Inside the cake there are two surprises, the "good one" and the "bad one". If you get the fava bean, that's the bad one: you'll have to pay the cake! But if you get the little king/wise man figure, then you'll be crowned king of the day and you'll have the right to wear the paper crown that came with the cake.
And after that, Christmas time will officially be over!
Children will still be given another day off before going back to school on the 8th after almost 20 days of holydays.
And as for adults... well, it'll be time to dieting after so much food and wine these days!
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