The Festival Department of the La Laguna City Council has presented this Wednesday, January 3, the official program of the Parade of Their Majesties the Three Wise Men of the East, which will tour the main streets of the city this coming Friday. It is the oldest parade in the Canary Islands referring to this festivity, thanks to its 114 years of history.
The presentation event took place at the Parque Ilusión Ciudad de La Laguna, through which thousands of boys and girls have already passed during these Christmas periods. During it, the Lagunero mayor, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, and the councilor responsible for the Area, Dailos González, took the floor.
Luis Yeray Gutiérrez announced that “this year’s tour will renew its image with new floats and characters recognizable by all members of the family, combining tradition and modernity in an event that dates back to 1912.” “One more year, we want this celebration to grow in inclusiveness and for this we have enabled an orange point in the Plaza del Adelantado with sign language interpreters and assistance for people with some type of disability and a noise-free section at the beginning of the route for the population with hearing hypersensitivity,” added the first mayor.
For his part, Dailos González explained that “in 2024, new spectacular floats will be offered, among which are the three of the Three Wise Men, from which more than 2,500 kilos of gluten-free gummy candies will be distributed.” These devices will be joined by other thematic vehicles, artists, musical bands and local groups.
The Parade will depart at 5:00 p.m. from Camino La Rúa and will travel through Nava and Grimón streets, Consistorio, Herradores (up), El Tizón, La Carrera (down) and return along Via Consistorio to Plaza del Cristo.
The day on January 5 will start at 11:30 a.m. with the official reception ceremony for Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar in the arches of the La Laguna City Hall. At this point, the welcome will correspond to the mayor of La Laguna, who will give them the keys to the city so they can distribute the gifts on the traditional Twelfth Night. This location will include a small stage where the three protagonists of this day of excitement will collect letters from the boys and girls of the municipality.
After signing the Consistory’s Golden Book and taking a short break to regain strength, Their Majesties The Three Wise Men of the East will leave at 3:30 p.m. in the Royal Comitence from the Plaza del Adelantado to the Sanctuary of Christ of La Laguna, where they will perform the act of adoration of the Child Jesus of the Afflicted at 4:00 p.m.
One of the new features this year will be that the start of the Parade, at 5:00 p.m., will be marked by the ringing of bells from the churches of La Catedral, La Concepción and El Cristo, replacing the fireworks from other editions. “This measure will further contribute to the inclusivity of this Parade, avoiding stress and the negative effects of pyrotechnic displays among people with hearing hypersensitivity,” detailed Luis Yeray Gutiérrez.
