This Saturday afternoon the so-called ‘Nadal Trilogy’ begins in Alcoi, which opens the endearing children’s parade of ‘Les Pastoretes’ and leads, through an agenda full of events, to the unique and magical Three Kings Parade, the oldest and most unique of those celebrated every January 5.
It will be on Thursday the 4th, in the afternoon, when the Royal Ambassador arrives in the Alicante town, and that same night the Three Wise Men will set up their royal camp at the Preventori. On Friday the 5th in the morning you can visit the royal barracks, with prior purchase of tickets, and in the afternoon the 139th Parade of History will take place, declared a Site of Cultural Interest and a Festival of National Tourist Interest.
This year, like last year, ‘Les Pastoretes’ will once again make their tour in the afternoon, starting at 6 p.m. It is a children’s parade in which a large group of boys and girls, dressed as shepherds, travel the streets on decorated cars and in various dance groups.
The little ones parade accompanied by their flocks to go to the stable and present the baby Jesus, the “Jesuset”. The celebration of this event dates back to 1889. Traditionally, this parade is held on the Sunday or holiday before the Parade, but since the end of the year falls on a Sunday, it has been unanimously agreed that it should take place on Saturday afternoon to Don’t create problems with San Silvestre and the New Year’s Eve party.
Next Thursday, the 4th, the Royal Bando will take place, a prelude to the Three Kings Parade. The band has its origin in 1923, and in it an emissary of Their Majesties repeatedly declaims along the route a literary piece of verses written in Valencian, which announce the imminent arrival of the Three Wise Men in the city.
At the end of the entourage, little donkeys join in, carrying mailboxes on their backs, inside which the children deposit the letters they have written to the Kings in which they request the toys of their dreams.
A few moments before starting, around 6:00 p.m., in front of the Birthplace in the Plaza de España, the ‘Pregón del Tio Piam’ takes place, which evokes an ancient Alcoyan tradition, documented in the first half of the 19th century, in which the Children left the city to receive the Three Wise Men.
The staging is represented by the members of the Grup de Danses Carrascal. The group goes up Sant Nicolau Street, gathered at the Glorieta by the Ambassador and the living characters of the Betlem de Tirisiti, and joins the Bando’s entourage at the Font Redonda.
The band starts at 6.30pm from the Round Fountain. It runs through Calle de Sant Nicolau, Plaça d’Espanya, Calle Sant Llorenç and Avenida del País Valencià, where it will end. Far away, on the mountain of Sant Cristófil, lights from bonfires and flares will illuminate the camp of the Kings of the East.
The actress Pilar Almería will be the voice that will announce the Royal Party, inviting the people of Alcoy to place their letters with wishes and gifts in the donkeys prepared for this purpose, to collect these dreams and upload them to the Royal Camp of Mariola. A Side that will be written from the East by the Alcoyan biologist Tono Belda, in charge of putting on paper everything that Their Majesties want to communicate to the Alcoyans.
On Friday the 5th in the morning, the 6,000 people who have purchased tickets will be able to visit the royal camp. Visitors will be able to see how the pages and royal assistants prepare the gifts that they will distribute throughout Alcoi in the afternoon. The time for the Parade will have arrived.
