Epiphany (Three Kings) procession in Wrocław

The first documented procession took place in Spain in the 19th century, specifically in Barcelona in 1855. In Spain, the processions are held on January 5, not January 6, which is the eve of the Epiphany holiday. The tradition is to give gifts to children on the evening of January 5, which are said to be gifts from the Three Kings. How did the tradition of Epiphany processions in Poland begin? The first Polish Orszak Trzech Króli was created as a continuation of the Nativity plays of one of Warsaw's schools. The increasing number of students participating in the Nativity play led one of the teachers, along with the director of the Buffo Theater and the school principal, to come up with the idea of taking the Nativity play to the street in 2008. They decided to base the script for the street nativity play on the story of Epiphany, and so began the history of the procession, which now takes place in several hundred towns and villages in Poland. The first Polish Epiphany procession was held in Warsaw in 2009. The first processions were organized in Warsaw and Toruń on the Sunday closest to January 6. When January 6 became a public holiday since 2011, the parades began to attract more and more locals and tourists every year. In 2013, processions celebrating Epiphany were also held in Ukraine and South Africa, and in 2014, for example, in the Vatican, Germany and the United States. The tradition has spread around the world very quickly, and in recent years about 100 new towns and cities join the organization of the procession every year!

We arrived at Ostrów Tumski together with many people who tried to arrive on time, at 12:30 as close to the Tumski Bridge as possible. Orderly people and police lined up all the waiting people on two sides just in front of the bridge so as to make passage for the procession. Many people must have arrived much earlier, as it was difficult to find a spot that would guarantee a good view. However, it turned out that there were dancing angels on stilts walking at the front of the procession, so it was easy to see them even from further down the row. The parade started a little late, but it was not a frosty day, so the cold did not bother. Paper crowns distributed by volunteers awaited all those willing to participate in the procession. This year's slogan for the procession - “Bow down to the Kings.” - referred to the 2025th anniversary of the birth of Christ and the 1000th anniversary of the coronation of Poland's first king, Boleslaw Chrobry. Therefore, this figure appeared at the head of the column. Who else walked in the procession? The Wroclaw Lighthouse Keeper (as a symbol of light) a boy carrying the symbolic key to the Holy Door of the Jubilee Year, devils, and at the end, of course, the kings Kacper, Melchior and Balthazar. Among the figures walking in front, the Asian dragon, symbolizing joy and strength, attracted special attention.

The procession walked slowly to the Wroclaw Market Square. We could feel the joyful atmosphere of celebration, and common caroling united and warmed up all participants. We passed the Market Hall on the left and the Nowy Targ Square on the right, and along Wita Stwosza Street we entered the Market Square. The Old Town was, of course, full of life during the Christmas-New Year period, as the Christmas Market was still ongoing. The crowd walking along with the procession mixed with a huge number of tourists strolling around the Market Square. It was still very joyful, but it got really crowded! At the very end, the Three Kings got down from their horses and walked towards the crèche. Despite the rain, thousands of people watched the procession until the very end. On the stage we could watch the scene of handing the gifts from the Kings to little Jesus. The archbishop of the Wroclaw and the mayor spoke from the stage, wishing the participants of the procession a Happy New Year. At the end there was quite an attraction prepared, as the well-known Christian music band Arka Noego appeared on stage!