SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Dec. 5 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Cabildo de Tenerife has inaugurated this Monday the traditional portal of Bethlehem, entitled ‘The Night of Love’ and which will be on display in the hall of the Island Palace until January 6 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. , except on 24 and 31 (from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.) and on December 25 and January 1 and 6 (from 4:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.).
The president of the Cabildo, Pedro Martín, indicated at the inauguration that this year’s Bethlehem “starts from a classic model but opts for a different alternative, not only in the pilgrimage of the Three Kings, but in a different way of interpreting the Nativity, with the intervention of Saint Joseph holding the child in his arms and valuing the shared duty of caring for the child”.
For his part, the nativity scene maker Carlos Curbelo explained that his proposal for Bethlehem for this year is inspired by the moment of the birth of Jesus and the main protagonists at this moment, such as the three Kings arriving on a camel, accompanied by their respective pages. , the Annunciation to the shepherds, the inn and the mystery posed in a very different way, in which Saint Joseph takes center stage with great tenderness after the birth of Mary”, adding that the whole scene “is posed in a very intimate nocturnal atmosphere, with indirect lighting, bonfires, torches, which helps the spectators to enjoy that magical moment”.
It should be noted that the scenery takes place in an arid landscape, with little vegetation and practically no greenery, thereby inviting reflection on the climate change that we are promoting on the planet,” added the artist.
The representation is made up of figures between 50 and 60 centimeters high, made with the construction technique of Neapolitan nativity scenes, in which the appearance of being in motion is achieved because they are articulated, made inside with a wire frame lined with tow, to which the heads, arms with hands and feet are attached, made by the artist himself, in polychrome terracotta, highlighting the presence of animals such as donkeys, roosters, camels, sheep and dogs.
On the other hand, a reproduction of the painting ‘Adoration of the Magi to the Child Jesus’ has been hung on the main façade of the Cabildo, an anonymous 17th-century painting that is located in the Parish of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción and that the Island Council of Tenerife , through the Insular Directorate of Territorial Planning and Historical Heritage, contributed to its restoration in 2021.
