I’m back in the States now, but I’ll continue to post some of the belen highlights of my trip. I spent most of my time in Madrid, but I went to visit a friend in Barcelona, riding on the wonderful AVE and getting there in 2 1/2 hours from Madrid.
Barcelona has two important Christmas fairs, one in front of the Sagrada Familia, and one in front of the Cathedral, downtown in the old part of the city. Below you see a stand in the plaza in front of the Sagrada Familia, selling mostly complementos (or accessories) for the scenes.
And here’s a view from the little terrace in front of the Cathedral. There were rows and rows of these stands, selling everything from moss and bark for building the scene to complementos and figures of all sizes. I did notice that the clay figures are getting scarcer and scarcer. For reasons ranging from the fact that they are less fragile to the fact that they are cheaper, plastic and resin figures, cast and painted in Spain, are taking over the market. I was able to buy some clay figures in both Madrid and Barcelona, but I fear that their days are numbered.
When I was in Barcelona a few years ago, just before Christmas, I was intrigued when I saw amongst the figures, a figure of a man in a crouched position apparrently having a 'poo' behind the stable.
Can anyone enlighten me on this custom?
Posted by: Keith Brunt | February 28, 2012 at 04:24 AM