Christmas in Spain Part II: The Story
A big feature in the public Christmas festivities is El Belén, dioramas of the stories in Bethlehem. Here's one in the middle of El Mercado Central.
One in a mall just outside the city center.
And here's the life sized one in the Plaza Ayuntamiento, city hall square.
Next to El Belén in the Catedral, you could find a sign showing the main Belenes to visit.
Here's the view across the way from where I work. In general, it's Santa Claus who ascends the rope up to the terrace (this was new to me coming from the US, but I did see Santa Claus climbing a rope in London). In this non-traditional rendition (my Spanish teacher was sure to tell me this is not normal at all), Los Reyes Magos are doing the same thing - combining the traditional Spanish icons of Christmas with the action of Santa Claus. Yesterday, the 7th of January, they had reached the top of the rope. By today, they were already packed up, ready for next year.
