In anticipation of the momentous day when Their Majesties arrive from the East, La Orotava witnessed one of its most awaited and delightful events of the year yesterday with the preparation of its traditional and charitable giant roscón de Reyes. According to data from the city council, approximately 4,000 portions were served.
The occasion was held along Avenida Emilio Luque, outside the La Milagrosa school, where guests enjoyed a vibrant atmosphere complete with various entertainment options and musical performances by Christmas Rock.
The distribution commenced at 5:00 p.m. and concluded around 9:00 p.m. In this thirteenth edition of the event, around 4,000 portions of this grand roscón prepared for the Three Kings were handed out, crafted by two local businesses: Jovita bakery and La Manobuena candy shop, as reported by the La Orotava City Hall, who hailed the event as “a complete success.” A large crowd gathered to savour this festive delicacy, which stretched approximately 500 metres and weighed over 1,600 kilos. In addition, roughly 500 litres of chocolate were also provided to accompany the roscón.
The dough was once again prepared in the premises of Jovita Bakery, while the 1,000 kilos of pastry cream needed for the filling were supplied by the Manobuena sweet shop. To create this iconic Christmas treat, various ingredients were utilised, including around 300 kilos of flour, more than 50 kilos of orange, and a similar amount of assorted candied fruits, along with margarine, butter, sugar, vanilla, and lemon.
This enormous roscón de Reyes also has a charitable aspect, with the donations raised going to Red Cross and Cáritas to support families with limited means in the area. La Orotava’s mayor, Francisco Linares, along with the Councilor for Commerce, Deisy Ramos, participated in this event, which has established itself as a hallmark of the Northern region during this festive period. The municipal representatives expressed their gratitude to the participating companies and all the volunteers contributing to this Christmas and charitable event organised by the municipal Commerce department.
To conclude the day, attendees could also enjoy a performance by the group Escuela de Calor along with their Christmas show from 6:30 p.m.
Twelfth Night
Following this sweet occasion, today Melchor, Gaspar, and Baltasar will make their arrival at 4:00 p.m. in the Plaza de San Juan, after parading through various streets of the city. The mayor will present the Three Wise Men with the magic key that allows them to access all the homes in the municipality. After this, Their Majesties will enter the temple of San Juan to meet with any children who wish to personally deliver their letters filled with aspirations.
The procession of the Three Wise Men will begin at 8:00 p.m., starting on Mercedes Pinto Avenue and proceeding along Canarias Avenue, Calvario Street, the Bridge, and Carrera Escultor Estévez, concluding in the Town Hall Square, where the scene of the Nativity and Adoration of the Child will be presented in a Living Nativity Scene.
