'Paseo de Belen' Showcases Dagupeños' Creativity Through Colorful and Creative Nativity Scenes

I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem! (Luke 2: 10-11)

In numbers, the Philippines holds the top spot of being the largest Christian country in Asia while ranking fifth on a global scale, with around 93 million Filipinos being adherents (source: Inquirer.net). The given statistics that 81% of that population are Catholic and 11% are Protestants while the remainder belong to other Christian groups or are non-practicing translates to roughly 85.6 million Filipinos in over 7, 107 islands unanimously celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ every 25th of December. 

But that's not the only amazing fact about Christmas in the Philippines. You see, Filipinos  have a knack for progressively getting creative with the way they celebrate events related to Christianity with a passion that brands them as suckers for fun and festivities. This led to the evolution of how they celebrate Christmas from a traditional approach to a more modern/ more commercial take. Now, Christmas is not just a holiday that you spend in an intimate setting with just your close-knit kin-- it's a three months long event that is meant to be enjoyed outside the confines of your home with people you don't really know.

(Related post: Thinking about where to eat after visiting Paseo de Belen? Taste delicious yet affordable Vietnamese dishes in this hidden gem of a restaurant!)

Sometime in November this year, officials have started to fence off a section of land along the de Venecia Highway Extension. This space hosts what is now "Paseo de Belen" (lit. meaning "a walkway of Nativity Scenes") which opened to the public on December 2, 2017, twelve days from the time of writing. Just like last year when the event was first held, flocks of people from all drives of life came to see the belens all beautifully lit-up starting at 6:00 PM daily. The belens which were constructed from recycled and indigenous materials by folks from different barangays in Dagupan City are actually entries for a contest to determine which barangay has the best belen.

(Related post: Read about the Cherry Blossoms at the Yanaka Park in Japan for a feel-good vibe!)

Here are the nativity scenes, in all their glory, as featured in the Paseo:

A non-contending entry made by the Dagupan City PNP. Even their belen reflects their abhorrence to drugs.

(Related post: Christmas is the time for ukay-ukay! Read about the most popular ukay-ukay hotspots in Baguio!)

A non-contending entry from the good ol' folks of DepEd Dagupan. The cut-out figures made their belen unique from all the others.

Gloria in Excelsis Deo.

The Dagupan Electric Corporation's non-contending entry is reminiscent of last year's belen. It was made of the same type of materials featuring the same silver metal coils, but was boring and dank. We like this year's belen much, much better.

(Related post: Fancy a holiday in Japan? Read my guide on how to easily obtain a tourist visa to Japan!)

ENTRY #1: It had a homey feel to it, like I was looking at a family's simple house and backyard.

ENTRY #2: They sure kept it simple.

ENTRY #3: A smaller belen compared to all its other competitors. The camel looks like it's ready to drop to its knees-- and not because The Messiah's presence overwhelmed it.

ENTRY #4: This is exactly how I imagined the nativity scene to look like in real life-- minus the lights and the tacky flowers.

ENTRY #6: They went for an all-white silhouette which looks really good against its blue light counterpart. I don't think that's gonna work in the morning, though.

ENTRY #7: It's cute. I was briefly tricked into thinking it was set on an ocean.  

(Related post: What a wonderful year! Here's a post about my birthday staycation in Pampanga!)

ENTRY #8: In all-gold.

ENTRY#9: It's the perfect backdrop for a family Christmas portrait! It looked like something out of a pop-up Christmas card!

ENTRY #10: A star led the Three Kings straight to The Messiah.

ENTRY #11: Angels!

ENTRY #12: It could've been better. However, I love how that single spotlight was trained on the baby Jesus. He's supposed to be the center of the nativity scene, after all!

ENTRY #13: How-- just how-- did that camel get up there?

My little one (who only agreed to pose for the picture after I made her think she'd be touching real sheep).

ENTRY #14: It had no animals in it, but hey! There were a couple of  wooden benches inside for tired sightseers. This calls for full marks! 

ENTRY #15: Fancy.

ENTRY #16: At first, I thought they were on a boat.

ENTRY #17: The lights on this belen commanded attention. Inside, you'll see.....

.....the salvaged rear end of an ambulance, with its red siren light still working, keeping the baby Jesus snug and comfortable.

ENTRY #18: The giant star and moon caught my attention entirely.

ENTRY #19: Kudos for integrating Pangasinan's most famous delicacy, bangus (milkfish), into this entry!

ENTRY #20: This actually looks quite good, but I feel like they could add more details to it.

ENTRY #22: Electrifying in blue.

Similar to last year's Paseo de Belen, a makeshift amusement park called Super Carnival will be built directly adjacent to the nativity exhibit. Visitors and guests can have the time of their lives riding gravity-defying, stomach-churning, adrenaline-invoking rides such as a classic rickety wooden rollercoaster, a couple of Ferris Wheels, a carousel, a caterpillar, and more while partaking in traditional Pinoy perya games that usually involve gambling away with small amounts of money (usually just coins). Staple perya snack stands are also available to cater to the hungry-- the all-time crowd favorites are: popcorn, buttered sweet corn on a stick, hotdogs and burgers, palamig (the Filipino version of a cooler; usually comes in gazillions of flavors), "dirty" ice cream, and grilled or deep-fried street food like kwek-kwek, isaw, and deep-fried atay. However, as of the time of writing, construction of the travelling carnival is still ongoing. It will probably be complete before the 25th rolls in though.

Meanwhile, here are some images of the Super Carnival from 2016:

Carousel.

Only the most daring of daredevils will ride this.

A gambling game. Place your money on top of a card that you fancy, and when the ball lands on that same card you'll double your bet!

Running lights-- my favorite perya game. Place a one-peso coin on top of a number that you like and when the light stops there, you get a prize!

I used to hoard coins when I was a kid just so I could play this.

BINGO station.

They have a bring-your-own-chalk policy.

They had a bandstand then where acoustic bands played nightly.

Christmas may be a time of joy and festivities, but it's an event that is not defined by food, gifts, and fancy decorations. Modernization and commercialization of Christmas may have affected the way we Christians celebrate it, but a pause from taking a forkful of that Christmas pudding or a lull from the euphoria of Christmas shopping to look up to the heavens and utter a silent prayer of gratitude for the existence of Jesus, the Son of God, is a sign that however we celebrate Christmas, we are concordant in the acknowledgment of what it really signifies-- we thank God for sending His only son to a harsh and cruel world to die on the cross in exchange for us.

Yes, folks, the baby in the manger is the star of this celebration and not that lechon on the table. That's a good food for thought to chew on for when you grab a cup of hot chocolate from Bo's Coffee. 

Bo's Coffee is about 200 meters away from the site of Paseo de Belen.

Try the Bo's Coffee Cheesecake! If my picky little baby loved it to bits, so will you!