Belenismo, how do I love thee?

The celebration of Christmas is unique in each country. I believe, however, that the holidays are celebrated the longest, most colorfully, and most meaningfully in the Philippines.

In the Philippines, almost every province has its own way of heralding the birth of Jesus Christ. Take, for example, the province of Tarlac.  For the past eight years, the people of Tarlac have come together to present the most unique and creatively resourceful, environmentally friendly interpretations of the Nativity scene for the annual Belenismo sa Tarlac, the art of making belen.

Last Nov. 14, arriving jet-lagged and ill that morning from a European trip with my best friend Bum Tenorio, I just couldn’t resist but follow the convoy of judges driving to Tarlac for the judging of the 27 belens that made it to the finals.

I thought I would not “baby” the jetlag for I needed to see the Baby in the crèche in Tarlac. It has been a tradition for me to start my Christmas with Belenisimo. So, off I went as I sleepily settled at the back of the car to catch up with the judging team already having their merry time in a coaster along NLEX.

Oh, Belenismo, how do I love thee? Well, let me count the ways.

1. Bayanihan Spirit of Tarlqueños.

From a simple vision in 2007, the indefatigable mother and daughter tandem of Doña Isabel Cojuangco Suntay and Dr. Isa Cojuangco Suntay, of the Tarlac Heritage Foundation, has been spearheading the Belenismo. They have inspired Tarlaqueños to make Belenismo an institution in the province of Tarlac.

Tarlaqueños from all walks of life come together for the Belenismo. They transcend social barriers and bridge political divides to put up a grand spectacle that they truly can call their own. Indeed, the Belenismo is proof that the Filipino bayanihan spirit is alive in Tarlac. Preparations and making of the belens start as early as July each year.

This year, 42 belens made it to the pre-judging and the figure would have doubled had it not been to typhoon Lando, which battered Luzon including Tarlac last Oct. 17. Those who were able to put up their belens suffered Lando’s wrath destroying their entries.  As resilient as Tarlaqueños are, they still found the strength to rebuild at once in time for the Oct. 28 deadline.

What immediately captures one’s attention amid all the mind-boggling presentations of crèches in varying sizes and themes is that simple prayer that is part and parcel of each display written in Kapampangan, Ilocano, Tagalog, and English. Here lies the heart of Belenismo’s mission throughout the years, to be able to entice each and every viewer that comes to Tarlac to say a prayer or two before the belen that they view.

2. Creativity OF Tarlaqueños.

The Belenismo in Tarlac is a tourism-related activity to create livelihood projects from nativity artworks motivating the community, the church, and individual families. Imagine the creativity of the Tarlaqueños who use numerous kinds of discarded natural materials such as wood, bamboo, dried grass, palm leaves, egg shells and cotton from old pillows, as well as discarded machine-made materials like soft-drink tin cans, CDs, glass, plastic bottles and cups, and styrofoam materials. The use of recycled materials creates awareness of the importance of conserving resources.

Each year, entrants try to outdo their previous entries and elevate the quality of their works to higher levels and the people’s creativity rising to fever pitch as they make the most intricate Nativity scenes out of recycled products, handicrafts and organic materials. This yearly activity has transformed Tarlac into the belen capital of the Philippines.

Come judging night, each finalist mounts the most impressive tableaux of production complete with community performances of folk dancing, singing and barrio fiesta-inspired activities alongside their well-lit belens.

3. The Belens.

At the Belenismo, every belen has its own jewel of a story to tell — of a people’s visions, values, traditions, culture, way of life, what they hold dear, their experiences, their hopes, their beliefs and aspirations. It is this part of Belenismo that Isa treasures the most and elicits utmost dedication from the board of judges through the years.

Each year is equally challenging, what with the task of deciding which masterpiece among the numerous entries in different categories will bag the plum prize.

4. Food.

Yes, food! Each year, one of the favorite highlights of the Belenismo is dining at the cozy 20th-century post-colonial style Nay’s House, named after Ima Ninay Baron, with the same menu that we simply never tire of.

Ima Ninay’s daughter, operations manager Josefina Baron-Sawit, always prepares a glorious feast consisting of our favorite DIY pancit palabok — it’s garnish-your-own palabok with rich shrimp sauce and a variety of toppings to choose from such as fresh shrimp sautéed in atsuete, minced pork, tinapa flakes, crushed crispy pork cracklings, fried tofu, squid rings, toasted garlic and hard-boiled eggs. Other favorites include bringhe, bistek Tagalog, daing na bangus paired with buro, sweet plantain with sago in sugar syrup, and authentic kakanins.

5. Judges.

For eight years, my sisters Yvonne, Michelle and myself together with Julie Yap Daza, Cito Beltran, Ces Orena Drilon, Ding Mercado, Boysie Villavicencio, Rica Lopez, Robert Arambulo, Johnny Co, Carlo Rojas, and Mike Mina, have been honored and blessed to be part of this annual tradition. The judges, coming from different backgrounds and artistic inclinations, are one and in unison with the Tarlaqueños — that of the Belenismo officially heralding the start of their Christmas.

Through the years, the group has become a family often updating each others’ activities outside the yearly Belenismo and always looking forward to what is like a family reunion of wacky members — the Belenismo sa Tarlac.

And each year, before driving back to Manila at dawn from the last belen stop, we all pause to ponder and appreciate the belen even more as we recall how the Baby Jesus has such tremendous effect on the people of Tarlac that have once again gone out of their way —typhoon-battered — to create magnificent works of art — of sustainable belens that both inspire and aspire.

The Belenismo and its real essence will never fade: strong family ties, bonds of friendship, compassion, humility, and resolute faith in God.

Have a Merry Christmas!

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The Belenismo sa Tarlac is on until Jan. 6, 2016.

Email me at miladay.star@gmail.com.