Last of the season

The Zamboanga Peninunsula of the Philippines, like the rest of Mindanao, has a large Muslim community, so the group assigned this region for the Ateneo de Manila University Christmas Parks chose to clothe Joseph, Mary and Jesus in the richly-patterned fabrics common to many Muslims in Southeast Asia.

Yesterday, the Feast of the Epiphany, marked the last day of the Christmas season for Roman Catholics, and the Ateneo de Manila will begin dismantling the Christmas Parks today. I regret not being able to take photos of all sixteen parks, but I did better than last year, when I wasn't able to take a single photo of a single park. The Christmas Parks has been mandated by the university president as an annual project—a new tradition, if you will—so I will have another chance this coming December.

Parents!

Aside from providing decorations for the campus for the Advent and Christmas seasons, the annual Christmas Parks project of the Ateneo de Manila University is meant to foster community, with the various offices and academic units building their own parks. As I mentioned in the bottlecap Nativity post, one of the requirements is to use recycled and indigenous materials. There is also a limit to the amount that each group could use to buy new materials, a sensitive and just requirement given that those same monies can be used for the many social outreach programs of the university. And to make sure that people do their best with the limited time and resources on their hands, the Christmas Parks was turned into a contest, with the grand prize being an amount bigger than the expense budget limit.
  One group, however, stated at the very start that they were going to build a Christmas Park but weren't going to join the contest—which basically meant that they were not going to limit their costs. The beautiful, delicate, life-size porcelain figurines alone probably cost more than the entire budget.
  The group used indigenous products, though, with the most prevalent decorative item being coconut husks—on the ground and the ornaments on the tree. And while the members of the group chatted away and shouted directions from their picnic tables, their maids and drivers constructed and decorated the scene for them. I have to admit, there's a very big advantage to having a lot of money.

They came on a boat

In the Christmas Parks of the Ateneo de Manila University, the Jesuit Residence (where the Jesuits who work in the university live) and the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI, a Jesuit-run institute though not part of the university) were assigned the MIMAROPA region. An abbreviation for Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan, the MIMAROPA region is a long and narrow string of island provinces in the west central part of the Philippines. As you can imagine, boats are a major way of traveling around the islands, and the EAPI and Jesuit Residence's Nativity is set on a bangka, a small outrigger canoe which is the most common boat used in the country. The roofed shelter is optional and is usually found only on bigger boats.

Born in a metropolis

Aside from the bottle cap mosaic/stained glass nativity, this was my other favorite among the sixteen Christmas Parks of the Ateneo de Manila University. Also a mosaic, but this time made out of computer parts with orange plastic tubing for accent.
  The three figures of the nativity are made of the same materials.
  The setting for this particular nativity is the National Capital Region (NCR), which is more popularly known as Metro Manila. And the two things which distinguish the region from the rest of the Philippines is its skyscrapers and light rail transit systems, here made out of used foil snack bags.

Colorful blocks

The School of Humanities' creation for the Ateneo de Manila University's Christmas Parks is a colorful and stylized interpretation of Jesus' nativity in the islands of Batanes. The province is the northernmost of the Philippines and is composed of ten small mountainous and rocky islands, and traditional Ivatan houses are made of those same rocks—echoed in the construction of the Holy Family. The hair of Mary and Joseph evoke the "hairy" headpieces worn by the Ivatan. Called vakul, they are made from abaca fiber, and are a protectection from both sun and rain.

Boat to Bethlehem

The Christmas Parks of the Ateneo de Manila University are also thematic, with each group randomly assigned one of the regions of the Philippines to incorporate into their Nativity scene. Probably one of the most challenging regions is the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). How does one sensitively depict a very Christian belief in a Muslim setting? By not making any direct reference to the Muslim faith, of course. The Nativity scene is set on a vinta, a traditional boat with a sail of colorful vertical strips which has long been used in the islands of Mindanao. And as an additional detail, Joseph is also wearing a taqiyah.