Three Kings Day in Spain: Traditions, Food and Roscón

Quick answer: Three Kings Day, or Día de Reyes, is January 6 and in Spain it is the day children get their Christmas gifts, brought by the Three Wise Men (Reyes Magos). The night before there are parades, children leave their shoes out, and on the 6th the family sits down to a roscón de Reyes, a ring-shaped sweet bread with a hidden bean and figurine, usually with thick hot chocolate. The roscón made by Javier is delivered anywhere in Florida; the rest of the table (turrón, chocolate, marzipan) ships across the US.

What is Three Kings Day in Spain?

It is the feast of the Epiphany, when Christians remember the Magi who followed the star to Bethlehem with gold, frankincense and myrrh. In Spain it is also the big gift day of the Christmas season. Children do not wait for Santa on the 25th, or at least not only: the presents come from the Reyes Magos, Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar, in the night between January 5 and 6.

The calendar goes like this:

What are the Three Kings Day traditions?

• The parade. The Cabalgata is the afternoon of January 5: floats, music and the Three Kings throwing candy to the children.
• The shoes. Before bed, each child puts a pair of shoes in a visible place. By morning, the shoes hold the presents. Many families also leave something to eat or drink for the Kings and their camels.
• Carbón dulce. A joke: children who misbehaved are told they will get coal. The coal is a black sugar candy, and plenty of children find a piece next to their presents, as a joke.
• The roscón. The center of the day, and the reason this guide exists.

What is a roscón de Reyes?

A roscón de Reyes is a ring-shaped bread, sweet and light, scented with orange blossom water and zest. It is decorated with candied fruit and sugar. The classic one has no filling at all.

Two things hide inside, and they are the whole game:

• The figurine (sorpresa). Whoever finds it is the king or queen of the day and wears the paper crown.
• The haba (a dried bean). Whoever finds the bean pays for next year’s roscón.

The Spanish rhyme that goes with the roscón says: be careful when you cut it. If you bite on something hard, you have either the bean (bad news) or the figurine (good news).

Its roots go back to the Roman Saturnalia, when a bean hidden in a cake made someone king of the feast. In Navarre, in the 14th and 15th centuries, the child who found the bean in the Epiphany cake was crowned Rey de la Faba. The roscón as we know it, with its figurine, was born in the pastry shops of Madrid in the 19th century.

When do you eat it? On January 6, for breakfast or at the afternoon merienda, but today it is on the table all through Christmas: as dessert after the big family lunch and with coffee in the afternoon. That is why we bake ours from Thanksgiving to Three Kings Day, not only for the 6th.

What do you drink with a roscón?

Thick hot chocolate, chocolate a la taza, or a café con leche. Real Spanish drinking chocolate is nothing like a cocoa mix: it thickens on the stove until it is dense enough to dip the roscón in. The one we sell is Marcos Tonda Spanish Drinking Chocolate, 7 oz ($9.95) and ships anywhere in the US except Alaska and Hawaii.

The roscón is served at room temperature, in generous slices, in the middle of the table. If it is a couple of days old, 3 to 4 minutes in a 300 °F oven brings back the soft crumb.

How is it different from the rosca de reyes and the king cake?

They are cousins, and each one is good in its own way.

• Mexican rosca de reyes. Also eaten on January 6, also a ring, also with a hidden surprise: a small figurine of the baby Jesus. It is often decorated with strips of dried fruit and sugar paste. Whoever finds the baby traditionally hosts a party on Candelaria, February 2.
• New Orleans king cake. A ring of brioche-style dough, covered in colored sugar in purple, green and gold, with a small plastic baby inside. It starts on January 6 and runs until Mardi Gras. Whoever finds the baby buys the next one or hosts the next party.
• The Spanish roscón. Lighter, scented with orange blossom, with candied fruit and sugar on top, a bean and a figurine. Ours has no filling at all.

All three come from the old European custom of hiding a bean in the Epiphany cake. Which one is better depends on where you grew up.

How do you order Javier’s roscón in Florida?

I am from Madrid, and I have been making roscones for more than three years for customers in Florida. Mine is the classic one, with no filling: slow-risen dough shaped by hand, orange blossom water, lemon and orange zest, my own candied orange, candied fruit and plenty of moistened bakery sugar on top. The bean and the figurine come in their own little bag, so you hide them yourself before serving and nobody bites into a surprise by accident. The box carries a paper crown and a card with the story and the rules of the game.

• Size: about 1.5 lb (650–750 g), enough for 8 to 10 people.
• Where: delivered anywhere in Florida. It is made by hand and it does not ship out of state.
• When: every other day from November 25 to January 10, with none on January 1. Order at least 5 days ahead; from January 2 you can order until noon (ET) the day before, while there are roscones left.
• Price: $65 on most days, $75 on December 24, 25 and 31, and $80 on January 5 and 6.
• Limited: a fixed number a day, and the days around Christmas and Three Kings fill first.

Order from the roscón de Reyes page or directly from the product page. See the allergen information on the page: it contains wheat, eggs and milk.

What do you put on the table if you live outside Florida?

The roscón is the centerpiece, but a Three Kings table has other things. These ship anywhere in the US except Alaska and Hawaii:

For the lunch, a whole Serrano ham, a whole chorizo or two, olives and picos are what we have at home through the holidays. The Spanish charcuterie board guide shows how to put it together, and the Spanish Christmas food guide covers the whole run from Nochebuena to Reyes. Cheese is Florida only; elsewhere, buy a Manchego DOP in a shop near you.

Frequently asked questions

What is Three Kings Day?

January 6, the feast of the Epiphany. In Spain it is the day children get their Christmas gifts from the Three Wise Men, and families eat a roscón de Reyes.

When is Three Kings Day?

January 6 every year. In 2027 it falls on a Wednesday. The parades are the afternoon of January 5.

What do you eat on Three Kings Day in Spain?

A roscón de Reyes with hot chocolate in the morning or afternoon, and a family lunch that often includes the last of the Christmas jamón, cheese and turrón.

What is the bean in the roscón for?

Whoever finds the dried bean (the haba) pays for next year’s roscón. Whoever finds the figurine wears the crown. The bean and the figurine are for the game, not for eating, and both are small parts: keep them away from children under 3.

Is a roscón de Reyes the same as a king cake?

No, but they are related. The Spanish roscón is a ring of sweet bread with orange blossom and candied fruit; the Mexican rosca and the New Orleans king cake have their own decoration and their own rules, but all three share the same January 6 and the same hidden surprise.

Can I order a roscón de Reyes outside Florida?

Ours is made by hand and delivered only in Florida. Outside Florida, the turrón, the chocolate and the marzipan above ship nationwide.

How far ahead do I need to order the roscón?

At least 5 days ahead. From January 2 until January 10 you can order until noon (ET) the day before, while there are roscones left. Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and Three Kings go first.