Madrid has held its annual Eve of Epiphany parade, with the biblical Three Wise Men taking centre stage and handing out sweets to thousands of children.<br /><br /> Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar, suitably dressed in robes and crowns, graced parades across Spain and nowhere was the show more spectacular than in the capital.<br /><br /> Colourful floats made their way down Madrid’s main boulevard amid tight security, with hundreds of police officers on duty, some heavily armed.<br /><br /> The Three Wise Men have come to Spain, going from town to town in their parade. Have you seen them? #EpiphanyNight #VisitSpain pic.twitter.com/3UrObAdhEQ— Spain (@spain) 5 janvier 2017<br /><br /> Magical sights drew gasps of wonder from crowds protected by concrete barriers blocking access to streets. The movement of trucks was curbed after last month’s attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.<br /><br /> The Christian Feast of the Epiphany on January 6 is bigger than Christmas for many in Spain. <br /><br /> Children often wait until then to open their presents, said to have been brought not by Santa Claus – the traditional gift-giver elsewhere – but by the Three Kings.<br /><br /> This echoes their biblical visit to the newborn baby Jesus with gold, frankincense and myrrh.<br /><br /> with Reuters<br />
