UST Museum, CFAD mount ‘Palamuting Banal na Pasko’

MANILA, Philippines - The graduating Interior Design students of the UST College of Fine Arts and Design, through their course Liturgical Arts, under Fr. Alex O. Bautista, Liturgical Arts professor, presented their craft and skill in decorating for the holiday season a traditional Filipino setting in an exhibition mounted by the UST Museum and the College of Fine Arts. The art exhibition titled “Palamuting Banal na Pasko,” runs until Dec. 20 at the Main Gallery of the Museum.

 “Ang Banal na Pasko,” begins on the eve of Dec. 24, the Vigil of the Solemnity of the Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and ends on the Feast of the Lord’s Baptism, which is the Sunday after the Feast of the Epiphany.

Celebrating Christmas in our country is made even brighter by the food and decorations; reunions and pleasantries, devotions and traditions like the Noche Buena, the Pahalik of the image of the baby Jesus, the Inocentada, and gift giving. This is the inspiration for this year’s CFAD exhibit.

The exhibit included ornaments for Christmas usually found in Filipino houses such as the Christmas lantern or parol, the Christmas tree and the belen or the Christmas manger scene. Flower arrangements and table setting especially arranged by the students, also formed part of the exhibit.

As in the past, a gallery of saints and the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary adorn the many houses in the Philippines as an expression of piety and devotion. The saints whose feasts are found within the Christmas Season were also presented in the exhibit. They are St. Stephen – the first martyr (Dec. 26); St. John the Apostle and Evangelist (Dec. 27); Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church (Jan. 2); St. Raymond of Peñafort, Priest (Jan. 7); and, in a most special way, the Blessed Virgin Mary was remembered with the title “The Mother of God,” whose solemnity the Church celebrates on Jan. 1.

In celebration of the other feasts that fall within the season of Christmas such as the Feast of the Holy Family and the Feast of Baptism of Our Lord, artist Otep Bañez of Paete, Laguna, delivered his rendition in painting and in wood.

The house furniture, decorations and ornaments either on-loan from private individuals or found in the collection of the UST Museum, which are rarely displayed, also found their way in the exhibit.

‘Palamuting Banal na Pasko’ opened with a program held at the Main Building Lobby. Fr. Isidro C. Abaño, O.P., museum director, delivered the opening remarks, while the students’ mentor, Fr. Bautista, gave a message in the ribbon-cutting ceremonies that ensued, Fr. Abaño, Dean Cynthia Loza of CFAD and Fr. Edgardo F. Alaurin, O.P., regent of CFAD, were the guests of honor. Maita Oebanda was the master of ceremonies.