Madrid city council is investigating after video messages featuring a white man wearing blackface and speaking halting and heavily accented Spanish were sent to children as part of the traditional 6 January festivities that celebrate the visit of the three wise men to the baby Jesus.
The feast of the Epiphany – or Día de Reyes, day of the kings – is the day when Spanish children receive their Christmas presents courtesy of the three kings, Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar. It is preceded by cavalcades, held across Spain on 5 January, in which the kings parade through the streets, showering the crowds with sweets.
