In December, we drew names for "Mago Secreto" (like Secret Santa). Most of the "secrets" were divulged within minutes so some of us spent the time trying to confuse everyone. On January 6, we had to guess who our Mago Secreto was ... and when we guessed correctly, we could open our gift.
Roscón de Reyes (like turrones, the direct translation of this is "upper thighs")
Elvira and Belén brought Roscón de Reyes to share with us. Roscón is sweet bread that is circular shaped (like a crown), filled with cream, topped with carmelized fruit ... with a hidden "king" and a hidden bean inside. The tradition is that the person who gets the king has good luck and is crowned king of the party. The person gets the bean is supposed to pay for the roscón. Maria received the "king" represented as a penguin. Matthew got the bean.
The next day when Yana was sneaking another piece, she found another king. Bummer. Yana either had to keep it a secret or admit that she was sneaking another piece. A little while later, Matthew was sneaking another piece and he got another bean. Like father, like daughter. As Oma would say, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
One night, we went to a neighborhood Casal to see one of the kings. (I'll tell you more about casals in March during the fallas. For now, think Lion's Club or Kiwanis.) The king had a gold suit, a blue sequined vest and belt, black boots, a big white beard, a red cape, and a crown. It was like Santa Claus became king. It was a very nice party for the little children in the neighborhood.
On January 5, we went to see the Cabalgata ... the procession of the 3 kings (and lots of other people) through the city throwing candy and prizes to the audience. At the end of the procession, the 3 kings - Gaspar, Melchor, and Baltazar - receive the children at the city hall (Ayuntamiento) and give them gifts. Julia works at the ayuntamiento and was able to take Eva, Jolie, Bronson, and Elena inside to see the kings. While waiting for them, we noticed the line of children (and their parents) grow all the way around the block, down the street, and around another block ... over 6 blocks long! At first, we couldn't believe it. Then, we understood. Eva, Jolie, Bronson, and Elena came out and each of them had received nice gifts (nicer than any gifts we gave them this year) and had a few moments with one of the "kings."
More Reyes Magos photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/abrownell/sets/72157603726616476/
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