**Collaborative Post**
There is no better place to enjoy a family vacation than in Spain. With a promise of stunning beaches, scrumptious foods, rich history, flourishing culture, and a wide variety of exciting experiences, Spain has something to offer to all kinds of travellers—especially families who want to go on memorable adventures.
1. The Three Kings Parade
When: January 5 (annual)
Where: All across Spain
The Día de Los Reyes Magos, or the day of the Three Wise Kings, is celebrated every 5th of January all around Spain to commemorate the arrival of the three wise men in Bethlehem after Jesus’ birth to give him gifts. On this day, the children in Spain get their Christmas presents. This means that children don’t get their Christmas presents until January 5!
You’ll know it’s King’s Day when the streets simultaneously get filled with colourful banners and parades, vivacious music, sweets, and magical fun! During this festival, the three kings, Melchior, Balthasar, and Gaspar, roam around the city in their carriages, greeting all the children, throwing out handfuls of sweets, and giving Christmas presents. So if you and your family will be coming to Spain around this time, carry a bag where you can put all the delicious sweets that you may collect from the Three Kings.
The Three King’s Parade is an important public holiday for Spanish families. This is when everyone comes together to watch the children unwrap their Christmas presents. There is also an abundance of food and drinks everywhere. They even have a dedicated traditional cake for this fiesta—the Roscon de Reyes, a wreath-shaped sweet bread sprinkled with sugar and dried fruits. Embedded inside the pastry is a little king or queen (made of plastic); whoever finds these royalties is referred to as the monarch for the day, which entitles them to get serviced and waited on hand and foot. But if you get a bean inside your cake, that means you are the unfortunate one who has to buy the Roscon next year. It’s such a fun little tradition you wouldn’t want to miss out on.
2. Carnival
When: 7th Tuesday before Easter Sunday (February)
Where: All across Spain but the best parties are in Cadiz and Tenerife
Carnival or Carnaval is a flamboyant and fascinating fiesta in Spain celebrated as the last day before the Lent season, seen by Catholic believers as the last chance to indulge in festivities before the start of Lent. This is why it is among Spain's biggest and most flamboyant parties of the year. The festivities include having feasts along with lively dancing, festive parades, and a typical party atmosphere. What’s crazy about this is that the party lasts from dawn to dusk. If you want to participate in a world-class party taken to the highest level, attend the Carnaval in Cadiz and Tenerife because they go all out there! Being a part of this festival is the perfect moment to have a good time while sparking the creativity and imagination of your children.
During the Carnival, the entire month of February is dedicated to beauty pageants, best-dressed contests, and concerts. This is also when a unique ritual—Entierro de la Sardina or Sardine’s Burial—takes place. During this, a sardine effigy is carried through the streets by the mourners. After which, it is set on fire to announce the end of the festival. This whole act symbolizes death and renewal in a light-hearted way.
3. Falles
When: March 15 to 19 every year
Where: Valencia
The Falles Festival in Valencia is something that your children will undoubtedly find interesting. If you are staying in Valencia, don’t miss the chance to attend the Falles (or Fallas), a one-of-a-kind festival dominated by light shows, colorful characters, and a whole lot of fire. And since the Falles is principally meant to be enjoyed by families— especially little children—there are plenty of children's shows and attractions during the festival. They even erect the highest Ferris wheel in all of Europe.
In the daytime, the best thing to do is to discover the city while admiring the falles, which is what they call the colorful effigies and characters participating in the festival. There is no way that their comic character designs and vibrant colors will slip by your children's attention. Also, set your alarms at two o’clock in the afternoon so as not to miss the Mascletà, a coordinated fireworks display show. Come nighttime, step out of your hotel to admire the mesmerizing and brightly-lit city center of Valencia. Grab a snack and watch out for a grand fireworks spectacle along with the extravagant Fire Parade that signals the end of the Falles. On the final night, the falles are then burnt and used as firewood for the bonfire.
When: May (1 week)
Where: Calafell (Tarragona)
The El Calafell Family Weekend is a festival dedicated solely to the enjoyment of families. It is celebrated sometime around May at Calafell (Tarragona). The entire family is guaranteed to enjoy this event’s adrenaline-rushing activities and entertainment for all ages.
The whole week of this fiesta is filled with fun, family-friendly activities to do, such as cooking classes for children, overcoming family obstacle courses, watching theatre, listening to storytellers, and engaging in water sports.
Have you ever been to a Spanish Fiesta or has one of the above caught your eye as something you would love to experience yourself? Let me know in the comments below!
xXx
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