christmas – Robert Caplin Photography http://www.robertcaplin.com Thu, 09 Oct 2014 14:34:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.4.11 Living Nativity Scene http://www.robertcaplin.com/2013/01/living-nativity-scene/ Sat, 12 Jan 2013 21:44:12 +0000 http://www.robertcaplin.com/?p=2270 Real Human Nativity Scene in Linyola, Spain. Photo © Robert CaplinI’m not a very religious guy, so on my recent trip to Spain when I heard my group of friends wanted to go see a living nativity scene, I wasn’t exactly shaking with anticipation.

Real Human Nativity Scene in Linyola, Spain. </p><br />
<p>Photo © Robert CaplinReal Human Nativity Scene in Linyola, Spain. Photo © Robert Caplin Real Human Nativity Scene in Linyola, Spain. </p><br />
<p>Photo © Robert CaplinWhenever I visit my wife’s family in Barcelona, we always spend a couple of days in Vila-Sana, Catalonia with a group of friends and family in a large country house that can host all 17 of us. It’s in the nearby village of Linyola that they’re known for its living nativity scene.

Real Human Nativity Scene in Linyola, Spain. Photo © Robert Caplin Real Human Nativity Scene in Linyola, Spain. </p><br />
<p>Photo © Robert CaplinReal Human Nativity Scene in Linyola, Spain. </p><br />
<p>Photo © Robert CaplinNow, when I say scene, that’s a bit inaccurate. It’s more like an entire village from, well I guess around the BC/AD time, in which you’re totally immersed the people of the time. There are farmers, bread makers, craftsmen and woman, angels, devils, real farm animals, and of course the baby Jesus.

Real Human Nativity Scene in Linyola, Spain. Photo © Robert Caplin Real Human Nativity Scene in Linyola, Spain. Photo © Robert CaplinReal Human Nativity Scene in Linyola, Spain. </p><br />
<p>Photo © Robert CaplinAs you enter the nativity scene it’s a bit jarring the silence and the stillness of the actors who are posed, like a statue frozen in time. Occasionally you hear one of the many farm animals go BAAAA, oink oink, etc which is pretty funny. There’s also a few characters like e stone man who, though frozen in time, will slam down his axe to give kids a funny little scare…ok, he got me too.

Real Human Nativity Scene in Linyola, Spain. Photo © Robert CaplinReal Human Nativity Scene in Linyola, Spain. Photo © Robert Caplin Real Human Nativity Scene in Linyola, Spain. </p><br />
<p>Photo © Robert CaplinThe nativity scene takes about 20 minutes to walk through and honestly I feel like I didn’t get a chance to fully take it in. If I wasn’t with a large group I probably would’ve walked through twice.Real Human Nativity Scene in Linyola, Spain. Photo © Robert Caplin Real Human Nativity Scene in Linyola, Spain. Photo © Robert Caplin Real Human Nativity Scene in Linyola, Spain. </p><br />
<p>Photo © Robert Caplin

The experience ends with some comedy too. In Catalonia there is a unique character in every nativity scene you simply don’t see elsewhere in the the world, the Caganer. Simply put, the Caganer is a man squatting down and taking a poop. His bare ass is showing and there’s even a pile of do below him, though his bare ass and poo were about the only part of the scene that weren’t real.

Real Human Nativity Scene in Linyola, Spain. Photo © Robert CaplinReal Human Nativity Scene in Linyola, Spain. Photo © Robert CaplinThey take this character so seriously in Catalonia that as you exit the scene you’re confronted with the largest Caganer figurine in the world, 20ft tall with a plaque boasting its inclusion in the Guinness World Records.

Anyhow, I highly recommend the scene if you’re ever in Catalonia, you won’t be disappointed!

Real Human Nativity Scene in Linyola, Spain. Photo © Robert Caplin Real Human Nativity Scene in Linyola, Spain. Photo © Robert Caplin Real Human Nativity Scene in Linyola, Spain. </p><br />
<p>Photo © Robert Caplin

Real Human Nativity Scene in Linyola, Spain. Photo © Robert Caplin Real Human Nativity Scene in Linyola, Spain. </p><br />
<p>Photo © Robert Caplin

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