Feria del Belén

Last week, as I was on my nightly jog, I encountered a huge construction project in the Plaza de San Francisco in front of the ayuntamiento. At the time, it was just another obstacle (in addition to pedestrians, bicis, motos, tranvías, taxis & giant recycling bins) to avoid. But this weekend, I finally got the opportunity to go back & see what all the fuss was about.

Wow. Turns out, the temporary buildings are housing the 15th Feria del Belén de Sevilla. Directly translated, it's the "Fair of Bethlehem," but "belén" also refers to a nativity display, which is what is currently for sale in the plaza. Many homes in the States feature a nativity display as part of their Christmas decoration, but this goes above & beyond anything I've ever seen in the states. The intricate figures were mostly handcrafted by Andalucían artisans, & the displays are far more comprehensive than the traditional 8-10 piece set. (Fun fact: the first nativity was created by Saint Francis, whose Spanish name is San Francisco, for whom the plaza hosting the fair is named.)

From what I've read, Sevillianos put out their belén on December 8, which coincides with the celebration of the Immaculate Conception, & leave it up until February 2. Baby Jesus isn't added until Christmas Eve, & the 3 wisemen don't make their appearance until January 6. Instead of buying everything at once, they add to their displays every year. (If you've ever seen a miniature train village display, I think that's a fair comparison.)

The basic 5-piece set (Mary, Joseph, Jesus, a donkey & an ox) is called el misterio. The stable is called el portal. The add-ons, for lack of a better word, range from los tres reyes (the 3 wisemen) on camel & on foot, el ángel, los pastores y las ovejas (shepherds & sheep) gathered around a fire, to a collection of other assorted townspeople. Spanish tradition also includes the caganer, Catalán for "crapper." This poor figurine, who is hidden in the back somewhere, is carved with his pants pulled down, mid-poop. According to Wikipedia, he is "a reflection of Catalán irreverence & scatological humor" & is frequently depicted in town displays as whichever politican happens to be unpopular that season.

Walking through the Feria, even I, grinch that I am, was struck by the Christmas spirit. The belenes were intricate & beautiful, many including working lights or running water. I love the idea of a family building their belén, visiting the Feria each Christmas season to add to their display. I wish I could bring home the entire Feria, as I was fascinated by the range of the figures -- miniscule to giant, traditional to modern -- to share.

Since that clearly isn't an option, photos here.

Nos vemos, Le <3.