Day of the Kings in Lloret

What a great atmosphere it was in Lloret for the Kings yesterday evening!

The crowds were gathering to get a good spot to see the Kings well before they were due to arrive at the Town Hall at 6pm and the kids loved it, they cheered and waved to the Kings as they made their way into the building and then came out onto the balconies....I never seen as many people gathered at the Town Hall square or lining the streets to watch the Kings in their parade.

Sweets were thrown out to the children as the parade passed by.

Spanish Christmas Traditions

Just now in all villages, towns and cities all over Spain children will be eagerly awaiting the arrival of the '3 Kings' who will be bringing all the presents which they have been asked for. As the Kings make their way through the streets they will throw out sweets to the kids who will scramble to collect as many as they can. The morning of the 6th January is when all the families get together to see what presents the children have received.

Later that day they will all share a special round cake which is sold in just about every bakery and supermarket, it resembles one of the Kings crowns so is decorated with brightly coloured candied fruits which look like jewels! Baked inside the cake will be a small gift usually made of pottery and if your lucky enough to get this in your piece then it's said you should have good luck for the following year...rather like our Christmas pudding tradition in the UK.

Winter in Lloret de Mar

After tomorrow night the Xmas decorations around town will be taken down and the shop displays will take on a new theme as the winter sales arrive! Some of the fashion and accessorie stores have already reductions of 50% and more. Weather permitting we will be out taking photos of the '3 Kings' arrival and parade tomorrow evening, but till then here are the last of our Xmas photos from Lloret de Mar for another year!

The Guitart Central Park Hotel always put on a good display at Xmas

 Christmas drinks on sale in the Municipal market

 

Exhibition of Nativity Scenes in Lloret

 

Although Christmas and new year celebrations are over in many parts of the world, here in Spain there will  still be a Christmas atmosphere until after the 6th January (Day of the Kings) with Christmas activities etc still taking place.

The exhibition of Dioramas...the models of religious scenes pictured here are still on show at the little Chapel next to 'Gerrys Bar' until 11th Jan , opening times - 10am-2pm & 4pm-8pm. Entrance is free.

 

 

Lloret de Mar Stuff is 8yrs old!

Happy New Year to you all, I hope you all had a good night last night and not feeling too delicate this morning!!

It is now 8 years ago as yesterday that this blog was started by Debbie, I joined just 2-3 days later since then just about every event and corner of Lloret de Mar has been covered and photographed with a total of 924 posts....as for photos there's just too many to count!

The first photo on the blog for this year comes from our New Years eve celebration in Rabbies Bar where we all had a great evening with good food, fun and friends. 

Happy New Year!

An evening stroll around Lloret

A winter evening stroll around the streets of Lloret....although very quiet there is still a nice warm atmosphere about the town with the shop windows decorated for Xmas. Due to the very mild weather we are having  its nice to see people been able to still sit outside the bars and cafes for a drink and a bite to eat.

Day of the Kings Lloret

 After having wrote out their letters to the 3 Kings the children were waiting for the arrival of one of the kings, and here he is...dressed in his gold gown looking very regal indeed!

 He spent time talking to each one as they handed him the letters and gave the parents time to take pictures.

 This little girl in the photo below didn't seem too pleased about meeting him though!

Xmas Toy Collection in the Church Square

The request for donations of toys and games etc for the needy families of Lloret it seems went well yesterday judging by the amount of boxes we saw. All the items collected will be given out by the Red Cross to children in the town in time for the 'Dia de Los Reyes' (6th Jan) the day when most Spanish children will receive their Christmas presents from the 3 Kings. 

 

 

In the church square the excited children were busy making  lanterns and writing out their wishes of what they would like to receive. One of the 3 Kings was due to arrive at 5.30pm when he would meet the children and take their letters...just like taking the kids to see Father Christmas in the UK.

 

Help for poorer families in Lloret

All residents of Lloret de Mar are asked to take a trip to the Church Square tomorrow morning Saturday 28th Dec and donate a toy/game or some kind of gift for the poorer children/families of Lloret. Either new or second hand is welcome providing items are in a good clean condition.  All goods collected will be distributed by the Red Cross. The collection will begin at 10am until 8pm.

Xmas Day In Rabbies Bar Lloret

Thanks to everyone at Rabbies Bar in Lloret for putting on one of the best Christmas days ever!

We all enjoyed a traditional 3 course Christmas lunch, along with lots of fun and games which started at 1pm and went on until after 12 midnight!