The Three Wise Men get ready to arrive in Catalonia by land, sea and air

Barcelona (ACN) - The Port of Barcelona, Lleida-Alguaire airport and Valls train station- these are some of the means that the Three Wise Men will use on their way to Catalonia on the eve of January 6th. It is not Santa who comes to Catalonia bearing gifts, but the Three Wise Men. That is why the 6th January, known as the Day of the Three Magic Kings is celebrated like Christmas in Catalonia. Laden with gifts, the Three Kings will arrive in Barcelona this year by air, rail and sea before visiting towns and cities all over the region to participate in traditional parades and celebrations. In the last few days, hundreds of people have been helping with the organization of parades in order to create a magical night for children. 40 tonnes of sweets that are suitable for people with celiac disease will be distributed around major cities. In some cities, like Lleida, sweets will be wrapped in special soft wrapping to avoid any injury when being distributed.

In Barcelona, upon arrival, the Three Wise Men will star in one of the most spectacular parades of Catalonia. The magical Kings from the East will be accompanied by a fabulous musical and theatrical production. The artistic director of the Barcelona parade is Marta Bou, she explains that the purpose of the parade this year is to make it 'extremely credible', using some special props as gifts. The Kings will arrive in town at around five in the afternoon. All attention will be on the area around the port, known as, El Mull de la Fusta. At this part of the parade, children will be reminded of the fact that they will receive gifts that night and will be asked if they have behaved well that year.

In addition to the floats of the Three Kings, there will be classic floats like that of the local post office and the toy factory. As a novelty, there will be an extra float this year to show children how they should go to bed early so that the Kings can do their job. It will be a very colourful float with 18,000 watts of light. According to the designer of the float, Miguel Soto, the well known Catalan magician, Mag Lari will be on board to entertain the children.

Another major parade in the region of Barcelona is in Vic. But unlike in Barcelona, the capital of Osona will not use watts and electricity to guide the way for the Three Wise Men. But rather, 800 extras will be used in the procession to help burn four tonnes of pine to illuminate the path of the Kings. For the 68th time, the parade in the city of Vic will start in the South of the city. As a new feature, the delegation will be head by children in a brand new fantasy float. The idea is to show that they are the stars of the day. This brings the number of floats up to 14 this year.

Tarragonas' centennial parade

The Three Kings will use all modes and means to arrive in Tarragona. They will take the train to Valls, the boat to Tarragona and the helicopter to Reus. To celebrate the hundredth edition, the Tarragona parade boasts three brand new floats with plenty of toys and treats for children.

On top of this, the City of Tarragona has renewed the 14 floats that appear in the parade every year, adding new platforms and lighting to increase safety. Also with the centennial of the parade, the council will hand out 4000 cardboard crowns so that both children and parents feel the magic of the Three Wise Men.

But the most picturesque scene will be seen in the small town of Conca de Barbera Belltall. The Three Kings will arrive escorted by a tribe of exotic black people. The idea is to generate a feeling of curiosity and fear among the smaller children when they pick up their gifts at the altar of the village church.

Hard Candy in Tortosa and special soft packaging in Lleida

In Terres de l'Ebre, in the south, Tortosa continues to organise spectacular thematic parades. The 2011 one will be based on the, 'The Night of the thousand and one wonders, with references to the popular story of Aladdin and the magic lamp. Like always, the Three Kings will go to the river Ebro on a boat platform of the canal. After receiving the keys to the city by the mayor, the Kings will start a long ride with a half a thousand people, six coaches, seven mobile structures and five vehicles. In total, the group will distribute about 2,000 kilos worth of traditional types of sweets (hard-and-sugar) on the way to the park known as, Teodoro González.

The distribution of sweets will be very different in Lleida. In the capital city of Segrià, four tonnes of sweets suitable for celiacs will be given out. They will be tightly sealed with special soft packaging to avoid any injury to the public when been thrown out of the floats. In Lleida, the Kings will arrive by plane to the airport of Lleida-Alguaire. This will transport them from the East to the lands of the West. There, they will be collected by a bus that will carry them to the centre of the city of Lleida, where the parade will kick off.

Three acrobatic Kings in Girona

The journey of the Three Wise Men to the city of Girona, in north Catalonia, will include a demonstration of how the Kings reach all types of households, even the ones that are located on the top floor. So, here the Kings will be shown climbing a building to get to the other side of the rive Onyà to show their flexibility in reaching houses all over. Like every year, the Manaies (traditional soldiers) of Girona will be in charge of hosting the Kings and will make up of a masquerade of 320 people.

The display will end at the Town Hall Square, where climbers will use the royal dress to cross the square from the front of City Another emblematic riding throughout the surrounding region will take place in Blanes (Selva), where the Kings will arrive by sea. They will be welcomed with a fireworks display, and will spend two hours collecting letters from children in a tent. At seven, the parade will start, but the last stretch to reach the City Council will be done by foot. In addition to candy, the three Kings will circulate toys from the balcony of the City Hall.