Three Kings Day Procession in Poznań

The holiday of Three Kings or Trzech Króli (January 6) marks the end of the Christmas season in impressive style throughout Poland. A wholly Catholic holiday, 3 Kings honours Kaspar, Melchior and Balthazar, the three wise men who visited Jesus at his birth, and recreates their pilgrimage to Jerusalem to meet the 'newborn king.' In Poznań, the festive holiday celebrations include a colourful parade featuring the wise men and their courtiers, who hand out candy and sing Polish Christmas carols along the procession route. All are invited to join the parade, which begins gathering on Plac Wolności at 11:00, where volunteers will be handing out free paper crowns and songbooks of traditional Christmas carols (while supplies last). The procession sets off at 12:00, eventually arriving at the Poznań market square where there will be a live nativity, more carolling and other holiday performances. A special holy mass will take place in the Lesser Basilica of St. Stanisław at 13:45. A strong part of the cultural tradition of Poznań, about 500 volunteers are involved each year in the preparation of Poznań's Three Kings Day festivities. Every year, it gathers around 5,000 to 15,000 participants.