La cabalgata de los Reyes

In Spain, the day for giving presents to children is the day the Three Kings arrive. On the eve of the day, most towns have a parade (cabalgata) of carnival floats featuring the three kings, each on his own float. An important feature is the tossing of sweets to the crowd -- an article S read this morning said the Almuñecar parade would get through three tonnes of them. ??? They were being very generous, and the parade ended with two municipal lorries loaded with sacks of supplies to replenish the 13 floats, but still ... The lorries were also carrying 3,500 small toys and 1,500 footballs. Children attending the parade were all equipped with carrier bags to gather up the booty. Taking close-up photos was a dodgy business under the hail of bullet-like boiled sweets.

The parade was also a great opportunity for local dance schools, zumba classes, gymnastic groups, a group of very cute baton-twirling majorettes, and the flamenco school to show off their talents, between bouts of sweet-throwing. There's a little album here.

We got there for the start of the show, and watched all the floats pass before zigzagging across town avoiding the crowds. Stopped in at a bar for an apero, during which the parade caught up with us, and then home.