Castalla presents the Christmas programme adapted to the measures to avoid the Covid-19

• The activities are centred on the collection of letters, the Royal Camp and the Parade organised by the Festivals and Tourism Councils together with the Association of Friends of the Three Kings

Castalla Town Council has presented the programme for Christmas in the municipality with a series of activities to be carried out between 24th December and 5th January, in which all the measures and regulations in force at any given time will be followed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, with a safe distance and avoiding crowds. The Department of Festivals, the Department of Tourism and the Association of Friends of the Three Kings of Castalla have been responsible for organising the calendar of events. In this sense, the main events are focused on the collection of letters for their majesties (SSMM) the Three Kings of the East, the Royal Camp and the Parade that this year will have to be followed from home.

The starting gun will be fired on 24th December, Christmas Eve, when the Star that guides the Three Kings will arrive at the local Castle. From 7pm, the star will illuminate the town from the Torre Grossa to announce the start of the Christmas celebrations.

Three days later, on Sunday 27th December, the royal pages will collect the letters from the youngest members of Castalla to the Magi from the East. From 10.00 a.m. onwards. The auditorium will be the point where the requests and wishes of the young people of Castalla will be attended to. In order to comply with the regulations against the Covid-19, access to the building will be staggered and by family. For their part, the children will greet the pages and deposit the letters in a chest, maintaining a safe distance at all times and without any physical contact with the emissaries.

In addition, on the 28th, 29th and 30th of December, the organising entities will set up a Royal Mailbox in the Nativity scene in Plaça de la Font Vella so that those who have not been able to come to the auditorium will have another option to get their messages to the Three Kings.

The head of the Department of Festivals, Noelia Álvarez, declared that “in a year marked by the impact of the coronavirus, the Christmas celebrations are also conditioned by the fulfilment of the safety and hygiene regulations in force, to be able to enjoy these special dates with the maximum emotion, but with all the health guarantees”.

Likewise, the Royal Camp will be located in the Carrasca Park so that the citizens of Castalla can get to know the royal entourage, before they enter the town. Visits can be made on Sunday 3rd January from 10.00 to 14.00. In the same way, the entrance to the park will have the access signposted by the Holland Avenue, in the Aula de la Naturaleza, to avoid agglomerations.

Finally, the Cavalcade of the Three Kings will be held on 5 January. A fireworks display fired from the castle will announce the arrival of the entourage from the East around 7pm. Melchior, Gaspar and Balthasar will go through the streets of the city so that all the families can watch them from their homes, without having to concentrate on one point, and make the gifts arrive to all the homes in Castalla. The itinerary, which will take about ninety minutes, as well as the approximate time of passage through each point of the city, can be consulted in the activities poster.

The Councillor for Tourism, Maite Gimeno, has insisted on the importance of “living this Christmas surrounded by our closest family, prioritising the health of all the neighbours of Castalla, in order to overcome this difficult situation together”. Gimeno reminded us of the obligatory use of masks, as well as hand hygiene.