Nativities are a tradition that fills many Lanzarote homes every year. The different town councils of the island did not want to be less and, as usual, have installed their particular nativities, thus reminding the residents of Lanzarote of the arrival of such endearing dates.
Some large nativities, in which each municipality has decided to recreate itself, showing the landscapes and buildings of each of them, without missing in some cases the recreations of traditional ways of life and the use of even crops typical of the island, such as lentils, canary seed, barley, millet or peas.
Arrecife
The Arrecife City Council has opted this year for a classic Nativity, given the current economic crisis. Already last year, the traditional installation in the Ramírez Cerdá park or the Plaza de las Palmas, which evoked an old country house with its traditional furniture and utensils and a room that housed the Nativity, was replaced by a marine manger, installed in a river boat.
This time, they have opted for large figures of Saint Joseph, the Virgin Mary, the child Jesus, the angel, the shepherds and the Three Wise Men, in a manger made with cane and straw. The installation has been carried out inside the old municipal Recova, in order to save on surveillance costs.
Haría
The Haría Nativity scene has approximate measurements of 120 square meters, where about 70 figures have been placed, some of them mobile. As in previous years, agricultural landscapes of the island and traditional ways of life continue to be recreated. To access the portal, two lateral ramps have been placed, which allows the visitor to surround it and closely contemplate the most significant details of it.
San Bartolomé
The San Bartolomé City Council has decided to install its Nativity Scene in front of the El Porvenir Society. The portal has been designed by César Corujo, in collaboration with operators from the City Council.
The Nativity reflects the main real estate of the town and has been made entirely with recycled material. This edition also features a sculpture of a camel, which, loaded with gifts, approaches the portal. Güime also has its Nativity Scene, installed in the Sociocultural Center, as well as in the Senior Center of Playa Honda.
Tías
The Church Square of San Antonio hosts the Nativity scene installed by the Tías City Council and which, also on this occasion, makes allusions to the municipality, recreating various spaces and buildings of the same, such as La Casa Roja, La Candelaria, the Molina de Mácher and the churches of Conil, Tegoyo and Masdache, among others. The Cuervo volcano and part of La Geria have also been recreated, according to its creator, Luis Acuña.
Teguise
The Nativity, located in the Spínola Palace-Timple Museum House, is an architectural recreation of La Villa de Teguise. New buildings are added every year and, on this occasion, the Clavijo square has been added.
The creators, Noelia Jiménez and Domingo González, were focused on the Nativity for a month. To provide greater warmth, crops from the area were sown: lentils, canary seed, barley, millet or peas. The sound of the still has also been amplified so that it is the lullaby that accompanies the visit to the Nativity.
Tinajo
The Tinajo Nativity is built on an area of more than 1,000 square meters and is a representation of an aboriginal town. Located in the heart of the town, very close to the Town Hall, it has been made by municipal workers, in collaboration with an employee of the Cabildo of Lanzarote.
Yaiza
The Yaiza nativity is already 25 years old and this 2011, in an area of 100 square meters, shows us the main architectural, ethnographic and landscape assets of the municipality. Buildings such as the Church of Nuestra Señora de Los Remedios, the Pechiguera Lighthouse or the Castillo de Las Coloradas enhance the richness of the emblematic Montañas del Fuego, the Salinas de Janubio, La Geria or the beaches of Playa Blanca and Papagayo. Five operators from the City Council form the creative group of this Nativity Scene.
Living portals
In addition to the traditional nativities, there are the living nativities, which have been seen in some towns on the island. Femés hosted the staging of its Living Nativity last weekend, with the participation of residents and students from the Mararía Unitary School. Around 100 people were characterized in each of the key characters of the Christmas Nativity.
For its part, the Plaza Santa Elena in Playa Honda was the scene of a Living Nativity, in which local residents also participated. The municipality of Tinajo will also have its Living Nativity, whose staging will take place on December 26, at 7:00 p.m., behind the parish hall.
