Photowalk: Elche

After a couple great days in Barcelona, I made my way down south to visit the region of Alicante. During this time of year, Spain has a celebration of the 3 wise men, or the 3 kings (Los Reyes Magos en Elche). People have a parade in the street and eat rascon (a type of cake, it’s like a big cream filled cookie).

One thing I *also* did not know was that kids run in the streets with TREE BRANCHES THAT ARE ON FIRE. When I first got down to Elche, I thought I was arriving in the middle of a riot!

Luckily, my friend Ana told me that it was just a tradition. Sounds nice. There was a little baby – probably around the age of two (yes, two) – waving around a stick that was on fire while the dad video taped. Oh no worries, nothing bad could happen from that.

In addition to that, they also host a fight with fireworks to celebrate. Here’s a video from a previous year (cut to about 1 min)

Anyways, Elche was a pretty fun place! It’s a little bit lesser known than others, but definitely a unique part of Spanish culture. Will probably make it back for one of these parades in the years to come : )

Here are some photos from my time in Elche: