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Christmas in Spain is still more about delivering the original message than shopping for a celebration of beneficence and abundance. This more traditional view is expressed, for example, in the efforts that Spaniards make to portray the Christmas story. Torrevieja is known as a city where the visual narration of the birth of baby Jesus is taken very seriously.
Every year in early December, in the Plaza de la Constitucion, in the heart of Torrevieja, the Belén is built. The end result is a detailed depiction of the Christmas story. This begins with the Immaculate Conception of Mary and continues through the journey to Bethlehem to the birthplace. About 900 figures, several of which move, provide a good insight into daily life at the time, along with the miniature buildings, workshops, animals and rural scenes.
The attempt to approach reality as closely as possible is accentuated with lighting in houses, smoke from chimneys and waterfalls and lakes.
Every year, however, the makers of De Belén do not shy away from incorporating some local elements in their Belén very subtly and with a bold wink. In the past, for example, the salt extraction, the Torre del Moro of La Mata and the windmill on the Calvario square have emerged alongside historically more realistic scenes.
Depicting the Belén is a tradition, which is honored in many municipalities along the costas. After Three Kings on 6 January, everything will be dismantled and plans for the next edition can be made.
