January 6 Auto de los Reyes Magos in El Berro, Sierra Espuña

A medieval mystery play adapted in the municipality of Alhama de Murcia and performed in the streets of the village of El Berro

On 6th January, Three Kings Day. an event known as the Auto de los Reyes Magos takes place in several different towns across the Region of Murcia, among them the village of El Berro in the mountains of Sierra Espuña, consisting of a performance of a medieval nativity play.

This is one of the two oldest pieces of theatrical literature in Spain, the other being La Asunción de la Virgen, the famous Elche mystery plays, which are performed in Elche on 14th and 15th August every year.

In the eighteenth century Felipe Fernández Vallejo, the Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela, discovered an ancient manuscript in the library of Toledo Cathedral, which was named the Auto de los Reyes Magos. It was dated to around 1150, making it the oldest known theatrical piece in the Spanish language, and tells the story of the Three Kings following the star to find the baby Jesus.

The tradition of performing the Auto was subsequently revived and although each of the many versions of the play are based around the same manuscript and the same core, regional variations have inevitably resulted in a number of different interpretations of the work: here in Murcia there are several slightly different versions, each with identifiable local influences.

This Auto de los Reyes Magos in El Berro is led by the musical Cuadrilla of the village, which leads the Three Kings on horseback through the streets as the play is performed at different stop-off points.

Dialogue is in Spanish, so it can be difficult for non-Spanish speakers to follow (although most of us know enough about the nativity story to get the gist!), but there's nothing to beat a warming drink in one of the local restaurants and maybe a walk in the regional park of Sierra Espuña afterwards (or the Mass which is held at the end of the event). To eat in one of the local restaurants booking is absolutely necessary on this day!

The Auto begins in the car park outside the campsite and is invariably not quite at the time advertised!

For more local events, news and other information go to the home page of Alhama Today.