Celebrating Three Kings Festival

After the fervor of Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year's Eve has passed in the U.S./U.K., the holiday festivities continue in Spain with the Fiesta de los Reyes (Three Kings Festival), a vibrant two-day party celebrated across the Iberian Peninsula and Spanish Islands, which includes a parade, delicious food, and a second round of gifts delivered to children by the three kings.

The delectable star of the celebration is the Roscón de Reyes, a round, sweet bread filled with dried fruit, topped with candied fruit and sugar, and adorned with a gold crown. Hidden inside is a tiny ceramic king and a dried bean. The person whose piece contains the king gets to wear the crown and is king for the day, while the person who finds the bean provides the cake the following year. The sharing of this special treat represents camaraderie and the joy of sharing.

A visit to Mercat Central and a walk through Placa de la Reina gave us an opportunity to see a plethora of gorgeous Roscónes de Reyes' displays - although we only saw a tiny fraction, since every bakery in town creates their own version of the popular confection. After sampling a mini roscón, we determined it tasted much like a cream puff.

At dusk on the evening of January 5, an elaborate parade took place when the Three Kings, along with their entourage, were ushered through the city streets on floats while tossing candy, fútbols (soccer balls) and other treats to spectators as children shouted "Aqui! Aqui!" (here) and "Pe-lo-ta! Pe-lo-ta!" (ball) in hopes of capturing their attention.

Throwing ourselves into local culture and traditions has helped us feel like part of the community while also giving us a chance to expand our view of traditional holiday celebrations. We're incredibly grateful to be here and excited to continue experiencing all that Valencia has to offer. Next up is Fallas in March! 👑🍩🥳🎈🇪🇸