Los Tres Reyes

Hello from Málaga! I know I just posted a day or so ago, but I completely forgot to share about the Christmas tradition here in Spain.

To start, an observation: I have not been overwhelmed by Christmas this year. So nice. In the US, it seems like the Christmas season starts a little before Halloween and you are beaten over the head with BUY BUY BUY LOVE CHRISTMAS JOY for a quarter of the year. It’s a little ridiculous. Here, there are Christmas decorations up and carols (villancicos) in the air, but it’s a lot calmer. I’m enjoying it so much more.

The first thing I’ve noticed is that the Spanish are absolutely obsessed with nativity scenes, or what they call a belén, which is the Spanish name for Bethlehem. They are everywhere – in stores, in churches, in schools, and, as I understand it, underneath family Christmas trees. When I visited Seville a couple weeks ago, there was a market going on outside the Cathedral. I thought, “Cool, Christmas market! Maybe I can get some mulled wine.” No such luck. It was all – and I mean all – nativity scene shops. That’s where the above picture comes from.

These things include not just the manger and the shepherds and the three kings, but sometimes they tell the whole story, with Herod and the Roman soldiers to the escape to Egypt. There are whole towns and some of them turn from night to day. A lot are animated. One of them even had flamingos for some reason. There’s also a strange tradition (from Catalonia, I’ve been told) of putting in one guy who’s pooping behind a house. Supposedly if you find him it’s good luck.

In general, they’re really nice, though. I can only compare it to the Christmas villages that some people in the US like to make.

About a month ago, I started noticing people putting up ladders outside their apartments with three caped figures climbing in. What the heck is that? Well, it turns out it’s the Three Kings. (Don’t remember your Sunday School enough? I’m talking about these guys.) In Spain, they do have Santa Claus (Papa Nöel), but he doesn’t bring any presents. I couldn’t tell you what he does instead. I guess he just shows up. Instead, the Three Kings – Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar – bring the presents on the 6th of January, the day of Epiphany.

Actually, if you think about it, this makes a lot of sense! The Three Kings were the ones who brought gifts to Jesus. If every family puts a creche under their Christmas tree, then los tres reyes will have to leave the presents under the tree too. For the kids.

Whether or not this presents a theological/psychological problem with Spanish kids equating themselves with Jesus, I don’t know. But they already name their kids Jesus, so I guess it can’t be that bad.

Merry Christmas!