The Town Council of Constantina has entrusted the organisation of the parade to the Asociación Cabalgata de Reyes Magos del Valle de la Osa (CREMA), constituted expressly for this purpose. The parade is currently made up of 14 floats that take about four and a half hours to complete the route, which includes the visit of their Majesties to the Child as he passes by the Church of Santa María de la Encarnación.
By means of a service contract signed between the Town Hall and the Association in 1991, the latter was ceded a municipal warehouse at the end of Venero Street for a period of fifty years. Here, a group of so-called “collaborating members” comprising designers, mechanics, carpenters, electricians, painters, etc., etc., devote themselves altruistically to building the floats and organising the parade and other events to be held on the 5th and 6th of January.
Such dedication and the abundance of specialised labour has led to the work being carried out to the highest standards and, as stated on the posters, the slogan “Illusion and Art” has been adopted, under which the floats have been endowed with an attraction that goes beyond mere adornment. One of the singularities of this procession is that the floats are not towed by any vehicle, but do so autonomously. This has made it possible to eliminate the noisy, smoky and unsightly tractors that used to drag the platforms of the floats and to ensure that the floats not only move by their own means, but also enjoy a life of their own, with rotating movements of part of their structures, with a play of lights or fireworks, etc., which is why every year more and more visitors, attracted by its fame, come to see the originality of the parade.
Another characteristic of this parade is that only work is valued when it comes to getting a job as a Wise Man. Money is not enough. You have to belong to the Association as a member, be of legal age and have been a member for at least one year, to enter the draw for the position of King and his pages for men and Royal Postman and his pages for women.
The figure of the Royal Postman, apart from having a splendid float for the parade on the 5th, has the task of collecting the letters with all the petitions from the children who wish to do so on the afternoon of the 1st January. This event is announced through the streets of the town with a float representing the emblem of the Association: “Una Camella” with music and becomes a multitudinous act, which is normally held in the main street of the town, alternating in the main hall of the two casinos.
The procession is currently made up of fourteen floats that spend about four and a half hours covering the six kilometres of the route, which includes the visit that their Majesties pay to the Child when, on the way back, they pass by the parish church of La Encarnación. At this point on the route, their majesties descend from their carriages, accompanied by their retinue of pages, and go inside the parish church where, in a colourful ceremony, they offer him gold, frankincense and myrrh. At the exit you can enjoy the fireworks display in which the parish tower appears to be on fire. Once the parade is over, with the floats already in the nave of Venero street, the kings and their entourage go to the Casa Hermandad de Nuestra Señora del Robledo, where they hand out toys to needy children.
The morning of the 6th is dedicated to sweeten the lives of the elderly people in the residence and lately they have been visiting the Air Surveillance Squadron located in the town, where the kings and their entourage are received with great enthusiasm by those present.
From the 7th the countdown begins to prepare for the celebration of the Three Wise Men the following year.
The income of the budget of the Cavalcade is supported by the voluntary membership fees and, above all, by the hours of work carried out altruistically by all the collaborators, the amount of which is incalculable. As a curiosity, among the work carried out by these volunteers is the maintenance of the clock tower of the Parish Church of Santa María de la Encarnación. For all these reasons, the Town Hall awarded CREMA the Silver Medal of the City in 2003 and the Gold Medal in 2011, both of which were presented during the events held on the Day of Andalusia.
On the 5th of January 2013 a heartfelt tribute was paid to the sadly deceased and prominent member of the association José Cabrera, who for many years and so generously collaborated with the parade. In the presence of the Mayor, Mario Martínez, a commemorative plaque was unveiled which, with the inscription “Nave Municipal Pepe Cabrera”, has since given its name to the building from which so many dreams come true every year.
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