Recreating the spirit of Bethlehem in over 800 scenes

One who has gazed upon a creche, belen or nativity scene, and has taken the time to reflect upon it cannot leave without feeling a sense of consolation and joy. This is a story about a special soul who has taken her love for the belen much further.

Her eyes twinkle as she recalls those days at Maryknoll where she went to school. The nuns had a beautiful tradition of recreating a living nativity scene at Christmastime. This was a practice passed down by St. Francis of Assisi who was the first to conceive the tradition of gathering creatures by a manger to re-enact what happened on that most Holy Night in Bethlehem.

She recounts, “Some students were chosen to play the parts of the Holy Family, the shepherds, the wise men. And we were encouraged to go up to the nativity scene and present our gifts to the Baby Jesus.”

This tradition so moved the young Gigi Abaya-Carlos that she bought her first belen set at the nearby Catholic Trade store. She was a young girl of 14 at the time. Today, she is a grandmother whose collection has now grown to over 800 nativity scenes.

Even as a grown-up, the childlike wonder she has for the belen remains.

She would continue to collect nativity scenes, and friends and family who knew of her passion would also gift her with these as well. She remembers when her husband Doding once patiently hand-carried a huge box from one of their trips abroad as he feared the delicate belen of Lladro porcelain might break in the cargo section. What dedication and love!

It was also serendipitous that Doding would share Gigi’s love for the belen. He owned a polymer resin business which supplied many manufacturers of figurines. When Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991 leaving tons of ashfall in its wake, Doding realized that nativity figures could be made from this material, resulting not only in a beautiful product but also one which was meaningful. Sold for the benefit of the disaster’s victims and distributed through her religious goods store called Predictions in Greenhills, this project raised over P2 million in aid.

Every Christmas season, Gigi would invite friends over for tea so that they may share in the joy of viewing her belen collection. One of her visitors would be the late President of the Philippines, Corazon Aquino. And she, too, was inspired to gift Gigi with a painted Italian image of the nativity.

The collection grew so extensively that Gigi’s gracious home could no longer accommodate them all. The decision was made to set up a museum where the public could also have access to view the pieces.

The family-owned Riverbanks Mall proved to be an ideal place for it. A section was allocated and in 2013, the museum was opened. Named “The Spirit of Bethlehem,” according to her staff, the museum houses over 800 nativity scenes of various sizes made from unique materials from all over the world. To name a few, they come from Israel, Italy, Germany, Spain, the United States, Central and South America, Africa, Japan, Vietnam, and, of course, the Philippines.

A renovation was called for eight years later, in 2021, to reorganize the museum and its ever-increasing volume of contents. Architect Eli Aguilar designed a fresh, bright space that was appropriate for the growing displays.

Gigi still maintains some belen sets in her home. Ever-generous, she is on a mission to spread the joy and hope that the belen represents. She donates some creche scenes to other museums and institutions while also assisting in the restoration of belens in some religious houses.