[Leica] Nathan's PAD 17/12/2021: inside Alicante's town hall

[Nathan Wajsman]

This is my response to the “Is anybody there” thread on the LUG. I am very much here, working, cycling and taking pictures every day.

The other day I was walking around in the centre to look at the Christmas lights, and found myself outside Alicante's town hall. The door was open and people were going in to have a look at something, so I did as well. And what I saw was a nice nativity scene display in the main lobby, with the figures made by local artists—this is very much a thing here, as evidenced by the poster of the association of “belenistas” (belén means nativity scene):
https://www.greatpix.eu/All/Picture-A-Day/i-DgSLhj7/A

The central detail:
https://www.greatpix.eu/All/Picture-A-Day/i-TTHhPgp/A

And a delightful bonus. At the bottom of the grand staircase the leads to the ceremonial rooms there is a sculpture of St. John the Baptist, made by Salvador Dalí:
https://www.greatpix.eu/All/Picture-A-Day/i-PzkXtnv/A

For readers in the US: you may be surprised at such religious symbols in a town hall. Spain does not have the kind of sharp legal separation of Church and state as does the US, so a nativity scene in a public building is fine. In practice though, religion intrudes much less on public life in this country than it does in the US.

Cheers,
Nathan

Nathan Wajsman
photo at frozenlight.eu

http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws
http://www.greatpix.eu
http://www.frozenlight.eu

YNWA