Cavalcade of Magi

The three riders

Three figures from the Christmas story lead the evening: Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar, the Magi. In Spain they are treated as the bringers of Christmas presents, and the parade is their arrival. Each has attendants, called pages, who walk or ride with them. Dancers and musicians fill out the procession. The pages carry bags and take the letters that children have written, asking for particular gifts. Sweets are thrown from the floats or handed out to the crowd along the way. Almost every Spanish city and village stages a version of this.

Origins and history

The earliest cavalcade on record is from Barcelona in 1855. The parade in Alcoi, in the province of Alicante, is the longest running: it is first documented in 1866 and has been held without a break since 1885. Poland came to the custom much later, with a first cavalcade in Warsaw in 2009. Growth there was quick, and by 2016 more than 450 Polish cities were staging their own. In both countries the same three riders stand at the centre of the night.

The parade itself

Routes change from place to place. In small towns the parade often uses older props, and Romans, shepherds and camels appear alongside the Magi. Elsewhere tractors and decorated cars have replaced them, though most participants still walk, with only a few floats. Madrid's cavalcade is the one most people see on screen: it has gone out live on Televisión Española since 1964, and the regional channels of Spain show their own local parades. Warsaw's parade has been carried live by Telewizja Polska since 2010.

At home that night

After the parade, families go home. Children wash and put their shoes out, usually near the Christmas tree or the nativity display, and paper cut-outs are added to the scene. Sweets and a drink are left for the Magi to enjoy for a moment before moving to the next house, with a bucket of water for the camels. The belief is that the Magi come from the East on camels while the children sleep and climb to the balconies with ladders. Gifts are found in and around the shoes the next morning. A child who misbehaved is supposed to receive coal, though this is rare, and coal candy may appear instead.

Beyond Spain

Other countries keep the custom too. Cavalcades are held in Andorra and Gibraltar, in Argentina, and in certain towns in Mexico and Venezuela. Poland took the parade up widely after 2009, and today many Polish cities hold one. The shape is much the same everywhere: a route through the streets, the three figures, sweets for those watching, and letters handed over by children. Television carries the larger parades, and in Spain regional channels show their own.

How Cavalcade of Magi is kept

Preparation starts weeks ahead, when children write their requests. On the night of 5 January a parade moves through the town: the three Magi first, then their pages, dancers, musicians and helpers. The pages take the final letters and sweets are scattered over the crowd. Families watch, greet the Magi and head home. Children wash, set out shoes with paper cut-outs, sweets, a drink and water for the camels, and go to bed early. In the morning they search for gifts in and around the shoes.

When and where

The cavalcade falls on 5 January, the evening before Epiphany. It is an annual event, so the date stays the same each year. In Spain it opens the night of gift-giving that children wait for, with the feast of Epiphany following the next day.

Kept right across Spain, where nearly every city and village holds a parade, and strongest there. Cavalcades also happen in Andorra and Gibraltar, in Argentina, and in certain towns of Mexico and Venezuela. Poland has many, starting with Warsaw in 2009.

What Cavalcade of Magi means

For the families who keep it, the night belongs to the Magi of the Christmas story, who are believed to travel from the East to reach every child. Setting out shoes, sweets and water is a way of welcoming those visitors and asking for their favour. A letter carries a child's hopes for the year, and the shoes found full in the morning turn those hopes into something a child can hold. The warning of coal for bad behaviour gives the gifts their weight.

Days Cavalcade of Magi is marked

Questions people ask about Cavalcade of Magi

See also

HalloweenAn annual observance on 31 October marking the eve of All Saints' Day, rooted in Christian tradition and Celtic heritageChristmas treeA decorated evergreen or artificial tree placed indoors to mark the Christmas season.Christmas EveThe evening before Christmas, marked by church services, family meals, and gift preparations across Christian cultures.Feria del SolMérida's February fair: bullfights, parades, concerts and the Queen of the Sun

Good reading and sources

• Cavalcade of Magi on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.