We Saw Three Kings Bearing Gifts

6 January 2017

Today is Three Kings Day, in many parts of the world.  Also known as Epiphany, and Twelfth Night, as in the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas.

In much of the Spanish-speaking world, Three Kings Day is a big deal; in Spain, this is even bigger than Christmas Day.  This is the day the three kings (or wise men, depending on your translation) brought gifts - the frankincense and myrrh and all.  So the tradition is that gifts are given to children on Three Kings Day.

We asked around, thinking that perhaps today would be holiday, offices might be closed.  No, it was a normal working day as far as everyone was concerned.

But then, we saw three men dressed as, well, someone's idea of what kings in the Middle East might have dressed like some 2000 or so years ago.  

Riding horses, because camels aren't as available in Peru?

There were police on motorcycles stopping traffic and escorting the Three Kings down the road.  And they were followed by two trumpeters on horseback. 

Not exactly angels we're hearing on high, but, well, they do make people hark.  Or hearken.  Or stop and take photos.

And accompanied by the official cleaner uppers, because, well, these are horses.

The kings would stop every so often and hand things to children, maybe candy.  By the time they started handing out their non-myrrh and non-frankincense, they were too far away for us to see that it really was.

But it was pretty exciting, and we passed them again, riding in a taxi on our way back to to our hostale.

I love local color, and this time we even had a vague clue what was happening!

Oh, final photo - a few blogs ago I wrote about the triple sandwiches.  I don't know if this is called a seituple or what, but it definitely has at least seven layers of fillings in there!  Green beans, carrots, avocado, cheese, tomato, maybe hot dogs on the bottom layer.........and beets or purple cabbage?  Not sure, but it's like a mosaic sandwich!!