Children usually spend the night before Día de Reyes (the evening of January 5) getting everything ready for the arrival of the Three Kings, very much like Christmas Eve but with its own traditions. They prepare small offerings, set out shoes or boxes, and go to bed excited, expecting gifts by the morning of January 6.

Typical traditions that night

  • Children place their shoes by the door, window, balcony, or under the bed so the Kings know where to leave gifts.
  • Many kids prepare food for the Kings (sweets, cookies, turrón, or a drink) and water or hay for the camels , similar to milk and cookies for Santa.
  • In some families, children decorate or wrap shoe boxes , then leave them by the door as a special place for gifts from the Three Kings.

Evening activities and feelings

  • Families often watch or attend the cabalgata/parade earlier that day, where the Kings pass by on floats and throw sweets to the crowd, keeping kids hyped for the night.
  • At home, kids might help set up or adjust the nativity scene , talk about the story of the Magi, or do small crafts like paper crowns so they can “be” little kings.
  • The mood is usually one of anticipation : children talk about what they hope the Kings will bring, try to go to sleep early, and are reminded that good behavior brings gifts while bad behavior might mean “coal.”

Variations by country and family

  • In Spain, it is especially common to leave out water and food for the camels and a drink or sweets for the Kings before going to bed.
  • In Puerto Rican and some other Latin American traditions, children may fill boxes with grass for the camels and place them under their beds or near the door.
  • Some families keep the night simple (just placing shoes and going to bed early), while others turn it into a bigger family evening with special food, music, or church and then quiet time to prepare the offerings.

TL;DR: The night before Día de Reyes , children set out shoes or decorated boxes, leave snacks for the Kings and water or grass for the camels, sometimes make crowns or visit parades, and finally go to bed excited so the Three Kings can “secretly” leave gifts for the morning of January 6.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.