Cavalcata dei Magi 2023

Cavalcata dei Magi 2023 will take place on Friday, January 6, 2023, in the beautiful city of Florence.

The Cavalcade of the Magi is a religious tradition that recreates the pilgrimage of the three Wise Men for the birth of Jesus, which takes place every year on January 6, on the occasion of the Epiphany.

Epiphany is the feast that celebrates the revelation of the Incarnation of God as Jesus Christ, and the visit of the Magi to the Child.

SHORT HISTORY

The Cavalcade of the Magi already existed as a tradition in the 15th century, when a company of laymen known as the Holy Magi Kings (Santi Re Magi) organized a festive procession through the streets of Florence. Initially, the procession was held every three years and, starting with 1447, every five years.

The cavalcade comprised of three groups of people, who met in front of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, and marched together to the Basilica of San Marco, where they sang hymns and prayers dedicated to Christ.

The Medici were also members of this organization, which was prohibited after their exile from Florence, in 1494. In the following centuries, the celebration underwent many changes and lost its religious meaning, until it simply ceased to be held.

Cavalcata dei Magi was resurrected in 1997, on the occasion of the Seventh Centennial of the Cathedral of Florence.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

On Friday, January 6, the procession led by the Three Wise Men on horseback, dressed in magnificent silk costumes, accompanied by 700 people, will wind along the streets of Florence.

The procession will start around 2.00 pm in Piazza Pitti, in front of the Pitti Palace, passing over Ponte Vecchio, through Piazza della Signoria, to finally reach Piazza del Duomo. Here, in front of the Cathedral, the Magi will place their gifts at the foot of the crib.