From Mysterious Men to Spain’s Favourite Gift-givers

Living in Sant Cugat, it’s almost impossible to get through early January without hearing about Día de Reis or Kings Day. But why?

The original story comes from the Gospel of Matthew, which tells of visitors from the East who followed a star to find the new-born Jesus. But in the text they’re not kings, they’re simply referred to as “Magi” – wise or senior men, and there’s no number given either.

Most likely 3 was chosen because they brought 3 gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh but there could have been 2 or 200 of them. Over time, tradition turned them into three kings, although they could equally have been just a couple of old blokes popping across from Jordan having picked up a few gift-boxed items in the local bazar for the baby-shower. Unsurprisingly, the fictitious kings got fictitious names, invented later in the 8th century to give each one a bit of personality.

Melchor (originally Melichior) represents Europe and is usually shown as the older king. He’s often imagined as calm, wise and fatherly. Gaspar (Gathaspa), represents Asia and is the younger king with black hair. He’s sometimes pictured as curious and energetic, the one who asks the questions and leads the way. Balthasar (Bithisarea) is the African king. He is frequently described as generous and joyful, the one who connects with children. And family traditions, social media and Corte Inglés advertising have helped fix these personalities in our imagination.

So why do they turn up on 6 January? In the Christian calendar, Christmas Day starts the “twelve days of Christmas”, ending in Epiphany (meaning appearance or manifestation). The idea is not that the Magi galloped from Persia to Bethlehem in under two weeks. Even at a decent caravan pace of 30-40 km a day, a camel train would only cover roughly 400-500 km in twelve days – respectable, but nowhere near enough for a long desert journey. The twelve days are about the liturgy, not the logistics: Christmas focuses on the birth itself and twelve days later, Epiphany focuses on Jesus being “shown” to the wider world through these foreign visitors.

Of course, language and tradition go hand in hand. In Catalonia, the Cavalcada de Reis on the evening of the 5th of January (where the Kings throw boiled sweets into the crowds), the Cartes als Reis (that hopeful children write), and the Tortell de Reis (the donut shaped cake with hidden figurines that can easily break your teeth, eaten on the 6th) all help keep the vocabulary alive.

So the next time someone asks, “Are you ready for Kings Day?”, you’ll know that behind that simple phrase there’s a whole creative journey from anonymous old men to Magical Kings, and from an ancient story to the sweets scattered in the streets of Sant Cugat.