It rained, but little. At some point it seemed like it wanted to press on Barcelona, but it didn’t get any worse: it was a gentle spray without malice, like a mother’s pinch, burdensome perhaps because it was always driven without prior warning, but without being annoying after being away for so long. The downpour broke out like another character at the beginning of the parade in the capital. He came and went: now inside the scene, now outside. Capricious and playful with intrigue, time threatened to unleash a leaden sky throughout the Epiphany Eve. His fangs were visible, although he did not bite: the inclemencies did not defeat the illusion of seeing again, one more year, the magnificence of their Eastern majesties.
So, after being the talk of the day, the light and intermittent rain in Barcelona sparked to the delight of the majority, although it reduced the influx somewhat: the City Council counted about 600,000 attendees, less than the 750,000 in 2023. In any case, the drizzle alleviated somewhat – although it was barely a sliver – the persistent drought that brings Catalonia to the brink of the emergency phase due to water scarcity. It did not dampen the emotion of families and children, faithful followers of the Kings, who were not deterred by adverse weather reports from coming again to receive them, greet them and worship them. Furthermore, he came to fulfill one of the wishes that Mayor Jaume Collboni expressed to their majesties as soon as he landed at the Portal de la Pau. He did not mind having “a little rain” fall. about the royal courtship. “We’ve been asking for it for a long time,” he recalled.
The water did not at all tarnish the pomp of the entourage, grandiloquent and magnificent as it always prides itself on being: it flowed without alteration through the city, between the Ciutadella park and Plaza Espanya. On the other hand, luck went wrong in other cities around Barcelona: intense rain forced the troupe in Sabadell to be reduced to a single float that carried the three sovereigns; In Badalona no troupes and mobile figures paraded; The classic vehicles did not circulate in Mataró to prevent them from being damaged and Santa Coloma de Gramenet modified the itinerary as a preventive measure.
Candy hunting umbrella
In the capital, the royal motorcade passed through the middle of the crowd that took to the street. Metro staff had to regulate the entrances and exits at the entrances close to the route, which were crowded and, at times, blocked by the crowds. A myriad of unfurled umbrellas flanked the passage of the floats. They came to replace lanterns, a practically extinct tradition. There were many who kept them open when the sky granted respite: they held them upside down, like nets to load them with the candy that was thrown at the queue of the street.
The unflattering prognoses forced families to decide to stand up or desert. “It hasn’t rained for 100 days and it starts raining right at the parade,” a mother grumbled on a terrace in Barceloneta. “I could have waited until seven in the morning,” muttered another man, irritated by the uncertainty. Oriol chose to enter into negotiations with his two sons: yes to the novel sighting of the Magi on their sea crossing in front of the Espigó del Gas prior to disembarkation, in exchange for giving up the ride. “The oldest wanted to come, but he looks bad,” the father sensed, looking up, suspicious.
On the other hand, those who stood up to the unpleasant afternoon firmly resisted the sporadic drip. “We will endure. “Let’s go loaded with umbrellas and raincoats,” decided Adrián and Marina, in charge of a large family of children and nephews. Laia debated whether it was a good idea to wait for the Kings, but her children discouraged her from leaving to take refuge at home. Pilar had no doubts throughout the day. “Let’s all go to the parade, of course! & Rdquor ;, she settled hours before. She was followed by several children in her care.
Pacifist speech
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The Three Wise Men arrived to the city on time, aboard the Santa Eulàlia packet. Collboni welcomed them for the first time as mayor, amidst the enthusiastic shouts of young and old. The socialist proclaimed that the children have behaved “super well” during the last year and asked them for “help” To get the “best Barcelona”, “prettiest and tidiest”, he wanted it.
The mayor also expressed his wishes for peace, given the international scene shaken by the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. Melchior took him at his word to thread a speech with a marked pacifist accent. The sovereign expressed the sadness of the Magi. “We have to do everything possible and impossible to stop wars. “Children must have the opportunity to grow up in peace,” said Melchor, whose voice was reminded by those of Mag Lari. This time, there were those who also thought that, under a bushy red beard, Gaspar bore a certain resemblance to the deputy mayor Laia Bonet, ‘number two’ in the Collboni government. Someone even said that Baltasar was modeled after Olamide Adisa, an activist who promotes African music in Europe from Barcelona. Surely, the overcast sky caused poor visibility that led to confusion, because the Kings are no one but the Kings.