As a follow up to the Queretaro Nacimientos – the seven deadly sins post and their fabulous three kings display, here in San Miguel, the day before Three Kings Day, a market is set up along Calzada Guadalupe which runs about a half mile. All the sellers in town have booths which are full of toys, clothing, shoes, tools, television character dolls, baskets of sweets and kitschy things for the children. All the street food vendors are here too. It is completely set up and taken down in less than 24 hours running from about 6 A.M. on the 5th of January until 3 A.M on the 6th, at which time it is completely dismantled. It’s as if it was never there in the first place.
It’s everything you would expect to find in the states at Christmas except you would have to run all over town to find it. Here, it is all done in a 24 hour period the day before the arrival of the three kings bearing gifts. Each seller seems to have a specialty. Some only do dolls, others riding toys or stuffed toys or clothing, shoes, wrestler costumes and memorabilia. Specialization is the word here as you’ll see in photo slideshow below.
At 6:30 P.M on the 5th, the day before the big day, there is a live procession from the market to the Parroquia. There
are three trucks decorated in silky fabric with shiny gold and silver decorations, angels, Mary, Joseph, Jesus and the three kings in various costumes behind spot lights. This is followed by the three kings on horseback, their guides dressed in satin, with turbans and unruly beards, throwing candies to the children, assuring them they had heard their wishes for gifts.
Upon reaching the church, they wind the procession twice around the Jardin, singing. On the second round thousands of balloons are carried in large bouquets from the government building and they are let into the air, each one tied with a wish and the kings ride home.
Movie of the procession to come.