👑 Three Kings Day - Día de los Reyes Magos
Beginner Spanish · Día de los Reyes Magos
Three Kings Day in Spanish
Día de los Reyes Magos is celebrated on January 6 in Spain and many Spanish-speaking communities. This lesson focuses on useful language for the Three Wise Men, gifts, the Cabalgata de Reyes, letters, shoes, Rosca de Reyes, and family celebrations.
Your next small win: talk about Three Kings Day, describe common traditions, ask about a Cabalgata de Reyes, and use recibir, dejar, and celebrar in useful sentences.
Start with the essentials
Core Three Kings Day Vocabulary
These words cover the people, objects, and traditions learners are most likely to encounter.
Three Kings Day
The Three Wise Men
Gift
Camel
Star
Family
Name four Reyes Magos words
Say “Three Wise Men, gift, camel, and star” in Spanish.
Los Reyes Magos, regalo, camello y estrella.
The names of the Three Wise Men
Melchior
Gaspar
Balthazar
Gold
Frankincense
Myrrh
Recognition vocabulary: beginners do not need to memorize all three traditional gifts immediately. The names of the Reyes Magos are more useful for basic cultural recognition.
Talk about common traditions
Recibir, Dejar, and Celebrar
Three simple verbs help you describe many Three Kings Day traditions: recibir for receiving, dejar for leaving something somewhere, and celebrar for celebrating.
To receive gifts
To leave the shoes out
To celebrate Three Kings Day
Children receive gifts on January 6.
Children leave their shoes out before going to bed.
We celebrate Three Kings Day.
Useful pattern: antes de + infinitive means “before doing something.” For example, antes de dormir means “before going to bed.”
Describe two traditions
Say that children leave their shoes before going to bed and receive gifts on January 6.
Los niños dejan sus zapatos antes de dormir.
Los niños reciben regalos el seis de enero.
Letters and other traditions
Letter to the Three Wise Men
Shoes
Sweet coal
Epiphany
Parades and family food
Cabalgata de Reyes and Rosca de Reyes
Two useful cultural terms are Cabalgata de Reyes, the Three Kings parade, and Rosca de Reyes, a traditional ring-shaped bread or pastry associated with the celebration.
Three Kings parade
Three Kings bread / cake
Are you going to watch the Three Kings parade?
We are going to eat Rosca de Reyes.
We share a Rosca de Reyes.
The Three Kings parade attracts many families.
Useful plan pattern: use ir a + infinitive for plans: vas a ver, vamos a comer, vamos a celebrar.
Planning Three Kings Day
Are you going to watch the Three Kings parade tonight?
Yes. Afterward we are going to eat Rosca de Reyes.
Do you have a letter for the Three Wise Men?
Yes, and I hope to receive a gift.
Make a Three Kings Day plan
Say that you are going to watch the parade and then eat Rosca de Reyes.
Voy a ver la Cabalgata de Reyes.
Después voy a comer Rosca de Reyes.
Ask about the celebration
Useful Three Kings Day Questions
These questions help you learn how Día de los Reyes Magos is celebrated in a particular place or family.
Do people celebrate Three Kings Day here?
Where is the Three Kings parade?
What time does the parade start?
Are you going to eat Rosca de Reyes?
Do the children receive gifts?
Do the children leave their shoes out?
Date phrase: el seis de enero means “on January 6” in a sentence such as Los niños reciben regalos el seis de enero.
Ask about local traditions
Ask whether people celebrate Three Kings Day here, where the parade is, and whether they are going to eat Rosca de Reyes.
¿Celebran el Día de los Reyes Magos aquí?
¿Dónde es la Cabalgata de Reyes?
¿Van a comer Rosca de Reyes?
Cultural context
Día de los Reyes Magos is celebrated on January 6, also known as Epiphany. It commemorates the visit of the Three Wise Men to the infant Jesus.
In some communities, children write letters to the Reyes Magos and leave their shoes out before January 6. Cities may hold a Cabalgata de Reyes, and families may gather to share a Rosca de Reyes.
Variation matters: traditions differ across Spain and Latin America. Some families exchange gifts on Three Kings Day, some on Christmas Day, some on both, and others celebrate differently.
Lesson boundary: this lesson focuses specifically on Día de los Reyes Magos. General Christmas greetings and holiday plans belong in the Holidays lesson, while Las Posadas has its own dedicated lesson.
Your turn · 8 quick questions
Practice: Día de los Reyes Magos
Choose the answer that best fits each situation. Focus on gifts, shoes, the Cabalgata, Rosca de Reyes, January 6, and common traditions.
Practice complete
You can talk about Día de los Reyes Magos in Spanish.
A few Three Kings Day phrases to revisit
One last step: describe Three Kings Day without choices.
Say when it is celebrated, mention one tradition involving children, describe one family activity, and ask where the Cabalgata de Reyes is.
El Día de los Reyes Magos es el seis de enero.
Los niños dejan sus zapatos antes de dormir.
Compartimos una Rosca de Reyes.
¿Dónde es la Cabalgata de Reyes?
Which Spanish phrase means “Three Kings Day”?
- Día de los Reyes Magos
- Cabalgata de Reyes
- Rosca de Reyes
- Carta a los Reyes Magos
Día de los Reyes Magos means “Three Kings Day.”
Día de los Reyes Magos
On what date is Three Kings Day celebrated in this lesson?
- el seis de enero
- el veinticuatro de diciembre
- el treinta y uno de diciembre
- el catorce de febrero
El seis de enero means “January 6.”
el seis de enero = January 6
Which phrase means “Three Kings parade”?
- Cabalgata de Reyes
- Carta a los Reyes Magos
- Día de los Reyes Magos
- Rosca de Reyes
Cabalgata de Reyes is the Three Kings parade.
Cabalgata de Reyes = Three Kings parade
You want to say that children receive gifts on January 6. Which sentence fits?
- Los niños reciben regalos el seis de enero.
- Los niños dejan regalos el seis de enero.
- Los niños comparten regalos el seis de enero.
- Los niños celebran regalos el seis de enero.
Recibir regalos means “to receive gifts.”
Los niños reciben regalos el seis de enero.
Which sentence describes children leaving their shoes out?
- Los niños dejan sus zapatos antes de dormir.
- Los niños reciben sus zapatos antes de dormir.
- Los niños comparten sus zapatos antes de dormir.
- Los niños celebran sus zapatos antes de dormir.
Dejar means “to leave,” and antes de dormir means “before going to bed.”
Los niños dejan sus zapatos antes de dormir.
You want to ask whether someone is going to watch the Three Kings parade. What do you ask?
- ¿Vas a ver la Cabalgata de Reyes?
- ¿Vas a comer la Cabalgata de Reyes?
- ¿Vas a recibir la Cabalgata de Reyes?
- ¿Vas a dejar la Cabalgata de Reyes?
Ver la Cabalgata de Reyes means “to watch the Three Kings parade.”
¿Vas a ver la Cabalgata de Reyes?
Your family shares a Rosca de Reyes. Which sentence fits?
- Compartimos una Rosca de Reyes.
- Recibimos una Rosca de Reyes.
- Dejamos una Rosca de Reyes.
- Escribimos una Rosca de Reyes.
Compartir means “to share.”
Compartimos una Rosca de Reyes.
You want to ask whether people celebrate Three Kings Day here. What do you ask?
- ¿Celebran el Día de los Reyes Magos aquí?
- ¿Reciben el Día de los Reyes Magos aquí?
- ¿Dejan el Día de los Reyes Magos aquí?
- ¿Comparten el Día de los Reyes Magos aquí?
Celebrar is the verb used for celebrating a holiday or tradition.
¿Celebran el Día de los Reyes Magos aquí?