Los Reyes Magos in parades throughout Tenerife for Kings’ Eve on 5 January

[Janet]

In Spain, it is not just Father Christmas who delivers presents to all good Spanish girls and boys, it is also, indeed primarily, Sus Majestades Los Reyes Magos, their Majesties the three Wise Kings of the traditional and familiar nativity story who brought gifts to the baby Jesus. In recent years, Father Christmas has become increasingly popular, with many Spanish children now asking for, and expecting, presents from both sources, but the arrival of Los Reyes Magos is still the most special of occasions.

"Kings' Day", Epiphany, or our Twelfth Night, is on January 6th, so everything apart from the most touristic of businesses will be closed. Apart from their presents, many children look forward to one of the most traditional foods which will be available in all food shops, a roscón de reyes - Kings cake - a circular enriched doughy confection colourfully-decorated often in the Epiphany scheme of green, gold and purple and with a gold paper crown on top. Many have a tiny gift for luck hidden inside along the lines of the silver threepence which used to be an integral part of my own childhood Christmas puddings!

As with Father Christmas's arrival on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day, the Kings deliver presents the night before, rather than on the day itself. Throughout Tenerife, therefore, there will be parades of Sus Majestades on the evening of the 5th, with widespread traffic restrictions in place. As Adeje culture councillor Adolfo Alonso Ferrera said last year, Reyes "is one of the highlights, one of most exciting nights in the cultural calendar for many, a time of happiness and hope".

The main parade, or cabalgata, in Tenerife is in Santa Cruz, where Sus Majestades arrive around 5pm by helicopter at the Heliodoro Rodríguez López, and then parade through the streets of Tenerife's capital. As always, there will inevitably be more people wanting to see them arrive than there are spaces in the stadium. Tickets are normally available a few days in advance, and normally cost €1, with the money going to charity. The Kings arrive from around 5pm, and then parade through the streets of Tenerife's capital.

In south Tenerife, one of the most popular cabalgatas is in Los Cristianos, where the Kings arrive at the harbour by ferry. Their procession on camels starts around 5pm and follows the road up from the ferry, turns right up Avenida Suecia to Church Square, and from there moves to the Cultural Centre. In Adeje, the Kings arrive by helicopter at  El Galeón football ground, again around 5pm, and then proceed along the town's main Calle Grande. As they parade, they throw little gifts and sweets into the crowd.

Apart from these large cabalgatas, most towns have some sort of Reyes events, and they all get extremely crowded, as the above videos of Los Cristianos and Adeje show, so get there at least two hours before it all starts for a good viewing position if you really want to enjoy seeing what's going on. JA