The ambassadors of the Czech Republic and Norway lauded the entries of the 17th Belenismo sa Tarlac, emphasizing that they surpassed their expectations.
Czech envoy Karel Hejčova praised the unique culture of Tarlac in remembering the birth of Jesus Christ, and celebrating the Christmas season.
“Last year, we did not know what to expect. In the Czech Republic or anywhere in Europe, we do not have this kind of tradition. We do have nativity scenes but they are just for households and churches. These giant belens are something new for us and so far, they exceeded our expectations,” he said.
This is the diplomat’s second time to grace the entries of the annual art of making belen competition.
Moreover, Hejčova commended the harmony, cheerfulness and enthusiasm of the local communities to showcase their artistry and creativity through their own version of belens.
“We were very impressed by not only the beauty of the belens themselves but how much it brings the community together… how everybody works together and actually enjoys the festivity,” the envoy stressed.
Meanwhile, Norwegian envoy Christian Lyster underscored the improvement of belen entries this year.
“I thought last year was fantastic but this year is even better. This is something that we only see in the Philippines,” he noted.
The diplomat also admired the talent of Filipinos during their cultural and musical performances.
With this, Lyster encouraged Norwegians coming to the Philippines during Christmas time to take a detour from Manila to visit Tarlac and its belens.
Hejčova and Lyster were joined by other diplomatic officials including Vietnamese ambassador Lai Thai Binh, Cambodian ambassador Pan Peuv, and Myanmar embassy Charge d’ Affaires San Yu Kyaw in visiting the nativity scenes in the different areas of the province.
This year’s Belenismo sa Tarlac features 62 massive, colorful and festive representations of the nativity scene. (CLJD/TJBM, PIA Region 3-Tarlac)