Collector displays 2-cm ‘belen’

MANILA, Philippines - A two-centimeter crèche is one of the estimated 200 scenes depicting the birth of Jesus Christ on display at the Archdiocese of Manila in Intramuros.

Fr. Genaro Diwa, head of the Archdiocesan Liturgical Commission and an avid belen collector, said it is the smallest crèche in his collection. 

Diwa has put up an exhibit of his around 200 crèche collections from different parts of the world such as Italy, Canada, Mexico, China, Spain, Peru, Czechoslovakia, Spain and Mongolia. 

It showcases the different interpretations of the nativity scene, including one that features the lechon or roasted pig.

Diwa said his collection grew as friends and visitors who saw the exhibit, which he started in 2005, donated their belens.

The exhibit, which is open to the public and would run throughout the Christmas season, is at the lobby of the Arzobispado de Manila. 

Diwa said the belen and prayerful contemplation deepen the understanding of the season. 

“It’s showing us how the reality of the incarnation of Jesus Christ has given us so many expression… one way of expressing is not enough to each culture, each time and age there’s a way of telling us that God is with us in different manners and medium,” he said.