Three years ago, jeweler Gena Moner thought she could hide the handcrafted jewelry from her workshop inside the traditional Three Kings' Day cakes sold by local bakers. This year, for the third year cConsecutive, it returns, and has also added three pastry shops in Barcelona. So, in the Three Kings' Day cakes made of marzipan, cream, truffle, or custard, in addition to the figure of the king and the bean, someone might also find 18kt yellow gold rings with a natural blue sapphire and a natural diamond, and thread bracelets with 18kt yellow gold and also a natural diamond.

At home, Maria has three daughters, all of whom live in Barcelona, ​​but two of their partners are from abroad, and from far away: Puerto Rico and Australia. It's no surprise, then, that these two families sometimes take advantage of this time of year to travel to their countries of origin and spend the holidays with their respective families. That's why, for the past few years, when she knows this is happening, Maria brings forward the cannelloni, the escudella (Catalan stew), the meat stew, the cava, and the turrón (nougat) to the end of November. "It's difficult to all be at the table on Christmas Day," she explains, "but that doesn't stop us from finding a date to celebrate with everyone." In total, the two grandparents, the three partners, and the seven grandchildren all get together, along with the Three Kings. With trips to the other side of the world, it's normal for the daughters' families to make the most of them and extend their vacations as much as possible. Therefore, having a meal together on January 6th is also a complicated mission, and they've even postponed it until mid-February, opting for a more informal dinner. "We almost never exchange gifts on Three Kings' Day," says Maria, "but the presents are under the tree from that day onward, that's for sure." The challenge—and the credit—here goes to the grandchildren who do live in the city: they endure seeing the gifts under their parents' tree until all the cousins ​​return from their Christmas trips.

The El Niño lottery has showered Catalonia with good fortune this year. The first prize in the Three Kings' Day raffle went to 06703, a number widely distributed throughout Spain and especially in Catalonia, where winning tickets were sold in a dozen municipalities, including Barcelona, ​​Mataró, Sabadell, and Terrassa. The lucky winners will take home €200,000 per ticket.