Français
EnglishWhy is 6 January a public holiday in Spain?
- A public holiday: in Spain, 6 January is a public holiday. It is Three Kings Day, also celebrated in several countries in Latin America and Europe.
- Presents: tradition has the Three Kings, rather than Father Christmas, bring children their Christmas presents. So children wait until 6 January to receive them.
- The day before: celebrations are held with children on 5 January, and parades welcoming the Three Kings take place in the vast majority of towns and villages across the country.
- Customs: a few days before, children write a letter to the Kings asking for toys. Depending on the region, they leave sweets, food or drinks to attract the Kings, or put a shoe somewhere visible where the presents will appear the next day.
- Key point: the day marks the end of the Christmas season in Spain. Families gather around the roscón de reyes, a ring-shaped sweet bread decorated with candied fruit.
Any questions? Our experts will answer for free
Every 6 January, Three Kings Day is celebrated in several countries in Latin America and Europe, and in other parts of the world.
The date has a very special meaning in countries such as Spain, where children usually receive the presents the Kings bring them.
Families take the opportunity to get together and share the traditional rosca de reyes, a delicious bread made only for this celebration.
A public holiday in Spain
In Spain, 6 January is a public holiday. Tradition has it that children's Christmas presents are brought by the Three Kings rather than by Father Christmas, so the little ones wait for 6 January, and the arrival of the Kings, to receive their presents.
Although the main event is on 6 January, it is customary to hold celebrations with children on the eve of Three Kings Day.
Grandmothers usually bake the typical dish of the day, the roscón de reyes, and in the evening people usually go to the parades welcoming the Three Kings, held in the vast majority of towns and villages in Spain.
Traditionally, a few days before, children write a letter to the Kings in which they can ask for toys. The way presents are received varies from region to region.
In some regions, children leave sweets, food or drinks to attract the Kings and wait until the next morning to receive their presents.
Elsewhere, tradition has children leave one of their shoes somewhere visible, and the next day the presents appear in that spot.
Food tradition
This celebration, which marks the end of the Christmas season, comes with several traditions. One of them is eating the traditional roscón de reyes, or rosca de reyes, a ring-shaped sweet bread decorated with slices of candied fruit in different colours.
Would you like to come and live in Spain and invest in an apartment or house? Contact us.
Source: laprensa.peru
Marion Guillet is director of operations at the Alveo group, which Alveo Search is part of. She coordinates the teams and oversees the quality of the client journey. She shares her advice on how to prepare a property project, plan the formalities of settling in and live in Spain.
Our resources for buying in Spain
