Saturday 7th January 2012 - 17h30 at the Castillet

Cavalcade des Rois Mages

Les Rois Mages - The Three Wise Men

 

Pop into Perpignan for the ‘Fête des Rois’ and check out the ‘Cavalcade des Rois Mages’, a parade through the streets on horse and camel back, representing the kings, Gaspard, Melchior and Balthazar, who followed the star of Bethlehem to bring Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh to the baby Jesus.

The kings will collect letters from children, containing their wishes for loved ones, which will be read out at the Campo Santo. The procession will also contain ’gégants’, enormous painted papier-maché figures, sometimes 14 or 15 ft tall, with traditional clothing and a person inside. They usually appear in couples, often as king and queen, or some important person in the history of the town and differ from commune to commune, each town having its own ’gégants’

Of course, the French have a bit of a reputation for mistreating their royalty, but don’t be fooled – these days, it is more about cutting up cakes than cutting up kings. The ‘Galette des Rois’ (differs according to region but usually a cake made from puff pastry with frangipan stuffing) was originally to ‘draw the kings’ to the Epiphany. Eaten in honour of the three kings, it goes rather well with a cup of tea or a glass or two of white wine. It is the perfect opportunity to invite family and friends or maybe get together with those neighbours you haven’t yet met!

During the French Revolution, the name was replaced with ‘Gâteau de l’Égalité’ (Equality cake), “, as the word ‘king’ was a little out of fashion!

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