Record-breaking Three Kings’ Parade, 900 towns joined in

“I extend my blessing to the participants of the great Three Kings’ Parade, which is taking place in Warsaw and many Polish cities,” Pope Francis said after the Angelus prayer. On the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6, the Three Kings’ Parade passed through the streets of nearly 900 towns and cities in Poland and abroad. This is a record in the event’s history to date.

About 900 Three Kings’ Parades were organized in Poland and also in Germany, France, the USA, and Africa, among others. In Poland, 3 million faithful took to the streets to praise Jesus, celebrate, and carol. This year, the event was accompanied by the motto – a line from a carol: “In crib, he lies!”. It is the largest street nativity play in the world, taking place eight hundred years after the first nativity play arranged by St. Francis in Greccio, Italy.

After the Angelus prayer, the Warsaw march set off from under the Nicolaus Copernicus monument at noon. It proceeded along Krakowskie Przedmieście Street to Royal Castle Square, where the adoration by kings and the presentation of gifts took place. As every year, the Three Kings Parade was accompanied by competitions for children, young people, and whole families, including an art, nativity, and poetry contest. At the end, all participants shared caroling.

Magda and Lukasz Olek, with their son Jas, impersonated the Holy Family during Warsaw’s Three Kings Parade. “It’s an unsurpassed model; we feel their care for us; in this story of Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, there are many elements common to every family,” the Oleks tell Vatican Radio. They have eight adopted children; the youngest is their first biological offspring. She is a Germanist and photographer who has dedicated herself to the home; he is an IT specialist and entrepreneur.

For 16 years, the parade has been held in 23 countries. The Polish community abroad and missionaries are also involved in its organization. The “Three Kings’ Parade” Foundation, which started this tradition in 2005, is the organizer of the largest street nativity play in the world – the Three Kings’ Parade in Warsaw.

Vatican News