Spanish Nativity

Felíz Navidad

I'm back in the US now, but the photo below is the Misterio from the belén set up by the Madrid Association at the Casa del Reloj...Merry Christmas to all!

Quiet Sunday

On Sunday, I actually didn’t manage to see any belenes.  In the morning, I went to the Misa Tradicional, that is, the pre-Vatican II Mass, at the church of the Tercer Monasterio de la Visitacion, located in one of Madrid’s slightly outlying neighborhood. The chapel was renovated in 2007 by the Cardinal Rouco of Madrid just for the celebration of these masses and is quite beautiful. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get any photos, but you can find better ones on the website of the Spanish Latin Mass association, Asociación Española Deo Gratias, anyway.

In the afternoon, I blush to admit that I shopped, buying books and CDs that are difficult to obtain in the US, including, of course, many recordings of villancicos and other Christmas music. The night before I had gone to “La Marimorena,” a festival of zambombas and other traditional Castillian percussion instruments, such as the mortar and pestle, the large cooking pot, the rack of bones worn around the neck, and the anis bottle.  You can see them all the photo below, which also features the traditional pandereta (drum or tambourine). The zambomba is the thing that looks like a butter churn and it makes an ominous noise half-way between the bark of a very big dog and the sound of a train passing by. It’s a traditional instrument, especially at Christmas, and actually does sound appropriate with the energetic villancicos of Castilla.

Finally, this evening I went to another Christmas concert. It was held in the Iglesia de San Lorenzo, in the traditional old-style Lavapiés neighborhood.  The original church was built in the 17th century, but it was destroyed in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War.  It was rebuilt after the war, and has a very attractive altarpiece that was recently cleaned and restored.

The group that sang, Agrupación Coral Vírgen de la Paloma, was composed of about 60 voices.  The singers are all associated with a high school of that name. Some are teachers, others are non-teaching employees, parents of students, or simply neighbors who like to sing.  The director, Juan Pablo de Juan, has been leading them since 2000 and has got them doing intricate and charming arrangements of carols. One of the big hits of the evening, however, was a musical collage of “traditional Christmas advertisements,” particularly one for a brand of turrón that all the Spaniards present seemed to remember fondly from their childhood!

Murcia and Madrid

Saturday was a day of many belenes. 

I started the morning with one of the best I have seen, set up at the Museo de la Ciudad by the Agrupación Belenista José de Nazaret from Murcia, and featuring figures from the workshop of Antonio Galán.  It was imaginative and evocative, and showed off the traditional Murcia hebreo style figures made by Galán. Below is a photo; when I return to the US, I will put more photos in an album on the sidebar.

After this excellent exhibition, I went on to the Casa de Correos in downtown Madrid.  The belén there is set up by the Asociacion Belenista de Madrid, and was truly impressive. As you can see, it was enormous, and had scenes covering various other episodes – such as the Annunciation to the Virgin – as well as the scenes of the Nativity proper. There was a large parallel scene on the side featuring the journey of the Three Kings.  This had scenes of places on their journey and a very beautiful mountaintop village in the distance in one part of the scene.

Figures were by José Luis Mayo, who in addition to being a fine figurista is a madrileño, and they were as usual detailed and harmoniously proportioned.  The Misterio, however, appeared to be by a different figurista, and the figures looked to me like figures from Olot. I will have to see if I can get more information for you. They were very beautiful, in any case, and I particularly liked the fact that the famous figure by Salzillo, the Old Woman with a Basket of Eggs, has now moved into the scene of the actual Nativity and is no longer perpetually hurrying along the road but never arriving.

I was fortunate enough to hear a great concert by a youth choir, doing both Spanish and English-language Christmas carols and songs, and doing them very well indeed.  After fighting my way out of the mob who had come either to see the belen or hear the carolers or both, I went out to the Iglesia de los Doce Apostoles  to see their belen, which is a scene that has narration and light effects.

Most of the figures were from Murcia. It was very lovely, although since it was meant to be viewed with lighting effects, my photos didn’t come out very well because the room was dark once the projection was over. In any case, lo and behold, I saw the Old Lady with the Basket of Eggs again!  This time, however, she was still at some distance from the Nativity. But she was getting closer.

Madrid Belenista Association

After vieiwing the belén at the Cuartel General, I went on to the monastery known as Las Carboneras, which has beautiful 16^th century figures from Quito.  They arrange them slightly differently every year.  This year they are in front of a regal-looking painted backdrop.

 

Notice the pomegranates, symbols of the Eucharist, and the two angels, who are supposed to be drawing aside a curtain, the symbolic veil. There are also two figures, the Knight with the Star and the Herald, who appeared in the scene during the time of the Hapsburgs, but disappeared when the Bourbon kings arrived. This is probably because the Bourbons were influenced by the Italian style, which did not have these figures.

  

This is one of my favorite scenes, for some reason, and it is also always a pleasure to visit that church. The nuns are in a loft over the small crypt-like space where the scene is displayed, and there is Perpetual Adoration in the church.  At this time of  year, the church smells slightly of sugar and spice, because the nuns make cookies and sell huge quantities of goodies at this time of year to the steady stream of Madrileños who come up to the turn to buy them.

 

That evening, I went to the Monastery of Sta Isabel, near the Reina Sofía Museum of Modern Art, for the opening of the belén of the Asociación de Belenistas de Madrid.  The opening included a pregón – a proclamation or opening address – by don Bernardo Medina Garduño, a priest from Zamora who is very devoted to the belén tradition and is director of conservation of the artistic heritage of the Diocese of Zamora. He also directs the installation of the traveling exhibit , Las Edades del Hombre, which displays church artistic treasures.  He gave a very nice address, followed by Mass and the blessing of the Niños brought by the attendees, even though he had been teaching all day and had to return to Zamora (not nearby!) that night.  Bags of treats were also distributed for the children in attendance.

 

 

 

The figures in this belén were also by Mayo, and  the scene was, as usual, intricate and intriguing.

 

You will notice an unusual figure in the cueva with the Holy Family: a woman in a sari.  That is because this Monastery has a long association with India and many of the nuns are Indian.  So we have an Indian woman who has come to see and perhaps to help with the Nativity, leaning forward in concern as her sisters will also do someday.

Busy Day

Today was an extremely busy belén day.  First I went to see the municipal belén in front of the new Ayuntamiento (which used to be the majestic Post Office building) in the Plaza de Cibeles.  The exterior prospect was not inspiring, because it looked a lot smaller and more crowded than in previous years, or at any rate, when I saw it in 2006.  But the belén inside was definitely beautiful.

All the figures are by José Luis Mayo.  These are figures he created over several years for the City,  but each year they are arranged differently. This year sheep seemed to dominate. Mayo makes particularly beautiful and expressive sheep. 

Another charming detail was this cluster of cherubim, which I probably saw before, but perhaps didn't notice because they were a little further from the viewer.

   

After viewing this belén, I walked across the street to the Spanish Army headquarters, where they always put up a lovely belén.  They have unusual terracotta figures that are about 40 inches high and finished in shades of brown with a high glaze.  Behind the figures is a model of a building that is no doubt important in Spanish military history, but which I couldn't identify).

 

As you can see by the ladies peering through the fence, it's a large scene, although there are only a few figures. But it's striking, and every year I like to go see it.

After this, I went on to Las Carboneras and then, in the evening, to the opening of the belén of the Asociación de Belenistas de Madrid at the Monasterio de Santa Isabel, complete with blessing of our Niños.  But that story will have to wait for tomorrow!

Feria de Navidad 2008

As soon as I dropped my luggage at the hotel, I took off for the Plaza Mayor to see what the mercadillo offered this year.  The same artisans come year after year, so there is rarely anything radically different. This, of course, is one of its charms.

The only significant thing is that terracotta seems to be dying out as a material for the less expensive figures. It's being replaced by plastic - not even resin - which is not a happy development.  The figures are very generic looking, most are not well painted and are little better than the Chinese stuff that has flooded the market everywhere else.  I guess it was bound to happen, since terracotta is fragile and requires skilled artisans, while plastic lasts forever and evidently doesn't require the mastery of much technique in its painting.

But there was little change in the moss sellers and the assorted jugglers, mimes and singers - like this couple, who sang pretty Spanish songs from the 1950s, accompanied by the man's accordion playing.  It was quite cold, but I spent some time wandering around.

In the evening, I went to Mass at the Descalzas Reales, a women's monastery founded for the daughters of royal or noble families. The nuns have set up their Nativity scene, a 17th century Andalusian set, watched over by three standing Niños, also 17th-18th century, wearing Franciscan robes. It was the custom to dress the Niño of a religious house in the habit of the order to which the house belonged, and the Descalzas Reales are a Franciscan group. I tried to get a photo for you, but the vigilante (guard) was too vigilant and I wasn't able to get away with it. Yet.

I trekked around a bit more in the cold and came across this scene in the window of the excellent religious goods shop, Nazaret.  Note that there is a crocodile in the river. And then to console myself, I went and had hot chocolate and churros at Chocolatería San Gines, behind the church of that name.  A true treat, and very warming, too!  More tomorrow...

Madrid

  After weeks spent preparing the presentation on the Spanish Nativity tradition, days spent laboring over the technological challenges of the overhead projector, more days spent learning a new DVD making software, and finally, less than an hour giving the actual presentation, I thought it was time to flee the country and go to Madrid. My Delta frequent flier miles paid off - and I'm leaving for Madrid tomorrow.

I'll be there for the opening proclamation, the pregón, for the belenes put up by the Asociación de Belenistas de Madrid, and will also be able to visit the Feria de Navidad and, of course, see the work that Madrid's belenistas have done this year.

I found a hotel with wifi, so photos will be posted as soon as I can download them. Blog readers who have any particular interests or questions about the belén scene in Madrid should feel free to post a comment and I will do my best to answer their questions. 

Josep Garrut

Last week, we heard the announcement of the death of the great Catalan pessebrista (builder and promoter of the pessebre, or crèche scene, also known in Spanish as a belén) Josep María Garrut y Roma at the age of 93 in Barcelona. He had been a member of the Associación de Pessebristas de Barcelona for 75 years.

Dr. Garrut was a scholar and artist. He was an art historian and museum director and curator, and his particular interest, in addition to the Nativity scene, was Antoní Gaudí, whom he had known personally. Dr. Garrut wrote extensively on Gaudi’s work and he was the director of the Casa-Museo Gaudí in Barcelona. In fact, he received his doctorate in art history with his dissertation on Gaudí – just 2 years ago, in 2006, when he was 91 years old! In the photo, we see the Nativity Facade from Gaudi's best known work, the Catedral de la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.

I met him two years ago at the closing dinner of the Congreso of the Federación Española de Belenistas in Vic, when the well known Barcelona belenista Ignasi Carbonell introduced us. He was a charming and erudite dinner companion and radiated his love and knowledge of the belén tradition. His best known work relating to belenismo or pessebrismo was Viatge a l’entorn del meu Pessebre, an exploration of the belén. It was published in 1957 and is unfortunately out of print now.

Dr Garrut was an international authority on the crèche scene, and was one of the founders, in 1952, of the Universalis Foederatio Praesepistica, or International Creche Federation, which is located in Rome and was intended to bring together belenista associations from Spain, Italy, Germany and Austria. It now has member associations form many other member countries.

The website of the Associació de Pessebristes de Barcelona has more information on Dr. Garrut and you may send an e-mail to the Association expressing your condolences. He was a remarkable figure, motivated both by faith and by his great love of art and learning, and we probably will not see his like again. Memory eternal!

Belen Fun

My friend María from Barcelona sent me this wonderful little treat: a build-it-yourself on-line Nativity scene. 

The French webpage Croire.com, run by a group of French religious who have a press, Bayard Presse, has given us this entertaining Nativity scene. Click on the figures and move them around to build your own scene.  Enjoy!  And thank you, Marita!

Malta and St. Augustine

Before going any further, I wish to do a bit of shameless self-promotion here. This coming Sunday, Dec. 14, at 5:00 p, I will be giving a presentation at the St Augustine Art Association on the Spanish Nativity scene.  I have a photo-rich PowerPoint presentation prepared, and I will also set up the belen that I did last year for the Cathedral of St. Augustine. I'm not doing a scene this year, so this display should make up for that! 

The Art Association operates a gallery for local artists and has some excellent shows. Sunday's presentation will be part of a benefit for the Association. To whet the appetites of viewers, I set up a small display of figures by Montserrat Ribes, accompanied by an explanatory sign. 

And now, where does Malta come into this?  Today I received an e-mail from Salvatore Debono, who lives on Malta, suggesting that we exchange website links. I went to his website and I thought you'd all like to see it.

For those who don't recall offhand, Malta is a set of islands off the coast of Sicily. It's an independent country, of course, and its languages are Maltese (a Semitic language with a heavy mixture of Sicilian) and English.  Many Maltese also speak Italian.

Salvatore Debono's website is particularly interesting. He shows you some of his preseppe. He uses traditional materials, such as cork, and also uses a free hand in modifying purchased figures to get the effect he wants! You will also see some wonderful little scenes that he builds in walnut shells, meant to be used as tree ornaments.  Don't miss them!