My second favorite city in Metro Manila, San Juan City, started decorating its main streets with Christmas ornaments last week. The two-dimensional Christmas trees sprouted like mushrooms along Pinaglabanan, three-dimensional angels tooting their trumpets occupy their strategic positions in the park and giant parol (Christmas lanterns) make downtrodden Meralco posts look livelier.
The inside and outside of San Juan City Hall are also much more colorful nowadays. There are Christmas trees weighed down by various embellishments, reindeer and wrapped gifts in the corridors. However, outside is where the coups de grâce is. A life-size model of belen (Nativity) is displayed on the ground in front of the San Juan City Hall. The figures look nice in daytime, but they look better under the spotlight after dusk.
Here are some photos of the San Juan City belen:
Other visitors of Jesus Christ. Note the donkey in the far left of the photo. It has the best expression in the bunch.
For photos of the San Juan City life-size belen in daytime, please read this.
For more nativity scene, please read The Spirit of Bethlehem, Part I.