The Salzillo Nativity has been the setting chosen this year to present the Christmas programme of San Javier «which until January 6 becomes the Christmas village of the Region of Murcia», said this morning the mayor of Culture, David Martínez during the presentation that took place at the Salzillo Museum in Murcia, along with the mayor of San Javier, José Miguel Luengo, the mayor of Commerce, Héctor Verdú and the director of the Museum, María Teresa Marín, as hostess.
«To experience Christmas in our municipality is to experience Christmas in all its splendour», said the Mayor, José Miguel Luengo, who encouraged all Murcians to visit San Javier at this time of year. The Councillor for Culture, David Martinez highlighted the monumental nativity scenes that can be visited in San Javier, the musical shows for the whole family, the children’s workshops, the Christmas market that will be installed as a novelty in the Barnuevo esplanade, guided visits to the «Nativity Scene of Spain», and other activities, make up a program that completes the agenda for the whole family until January 6.
The tale of «The Thousand and One Nights» will inspire the decoration and setting of the Plaza de España, where the famous Nativity Scene of San Javier, one of the largest in Europe with more than 500 square metres and more than 2000 small sculptures by Murcian artisans, will be on display and will be officially inaugurated on 23 December. Along with the «Belén de España», you can also see the «Belén de la Marquesa», in the foyer of the Town Hall, which will be inaugurated on Saturday 17th December after the opening speech given by Carmen Campillo, the voice of the Mar Menor Choirs and Dances group, in the church of San Francisco Javier, at 20:30h. A few metres away you can see the Playmobil-Hidrogea Nativity Scene, in the Museum of San Javier, and in Santiago de la Ribera the Nativity Scene inspired by the sea and local customs.
The shows, such as «Kaosmos», aerial theatre next Saturday in Santiago de la Ribera with the group Puja and music are also protagonists of Christmas in San Javier, as the expected musical shows «Christmas Special» on 25 December and «New Year Special» on 1 January in the Plaza de España, with three shows each. Other children’s shows include «Mi Primer Concierto», a children’s activity «for cool and dancing families», on 26 December at 12 noon. The Councillor for Culture highlighted as a novelty the Christmas Market, in the Central European style, which has been organised by the Department of Commerce, from 23 to 5 January on the Barnuevo esplanade in Santiago de la Ribera.
Many of the activities will swap dates between San Javier and Santiago de la Ribera, which is hosting a toy library and a wide variety of children’s workshops, including sweets, clay modelling and various crafts. Father Christmas, from the afternoon of Friday 16th and then the Royal Page will collect the children’s letters in anticipation of the arrival of the Three Wise Men by sea and parade in Santiago de la Ribera on 5th January. Later they will arrive at the Nativity Scene in San Javier, with a show for all the family. The Councillor for Culture, David Martinez highlighted the presence of local associations and groups such as the theatre, which represents the traditional «Auto de la Natividad», choirs and dances, choirs and rondalla Santiago Apostle, Patnia choir, Symphonic Band of San Javier, the municipal dance workshop and other entities that have joined «to have the best program of recent years.
Among the novelties this year is «The Christmas Train», which is being prepared by the Department of Commerce and which will connect San Javier and Santiago de la Ribera from 23 December to 5 January from 11am to 2pm and from 4pm to 8pm, with stops at Aviación Española and Sandoval Avenues, so that the public can participate in the activities programmed in the two towns. The mayor, José Miguel Luengo justified the importance of coming to «this icon of Christmas which is the Salzillo Nativity Scene because in San Javier we pamper every detail of Christmas». Luengo thanked both the local associations and all the councils that contribute to creating Christmas in San Javier and encouraged people to visit and get to know the town at this time of year.
The full programme can be consulted in the hand programmes that have been published and distributed in municipal and public buildings and on the official channels of the Town Hall.
