Thursday, December 04, 2008
Follow The Route of the Nativities in Tenerife
From the huge, life-size nativity outside the town hall in La Orotava.
The Nativity, Belén or Nacimiento is still the most important of the Christmas decorations in Tenerife, where Christmas still revolves around the birth of Jesus, unlike those "developed" countries, where it's become an equal opportunity (just to make a profit) multi-denominational feast! :)
There are specialist belenistas (nativity makers), contests and organised routes to go round and see them; private family nativities (some of which open their homes to the public), then there are regular public nativities in squares (such as the life-size nativity outside the town hall in La Orotava, see above), in the Plaza de Candelaria in Santa Cruz, in shops and malls, such as La Villa in La Orotava, inside the Cabildo (Tenerife Island Corporation) building in Santa Cruz, in town halls, most churches (of course) and, even hotels.
The aboriginal nativity at the Hotel La Quinta Roja in Garachico, which each year depicts Jesus being born into a pre-conquest family on one of the Canary Islands, has become a regular feature. This year, theirs depicts the island of Gran Canaria (more images); in 2007, El Hierro and in 2006, La Gomera.
These "Holy Model Villages" full of detail usually reserved for model railways, are fascinating to see and won't be difficult to find, all around the island.
Not every detail is serious mind you, as this and Jack Montgomery explains.
Most of the nativity displays will be available to see from around now, usually until Los Reyes (The Three Kings Day) on January 6th. The display at the Hotel La Quinta Roja will stay on view, until Candelmas on February 2nd.
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