The Christmas tour from nativity scene to nativity scene in Malaga

Christmas in Malaga is synonymous with lights and music in Calle Larios, videomapping in the Cathedral and craft stalls in the Park. But it is also synonymous with nativity and the perfect time to take a tour stopping at the different nativity scenes that decorate the city. There have been long queues recorded every day of this last long weekend of the year to see some of the classic nativity scenes, such as the one at Malaga Town Hall, demonstrating that this Christmas tradition is still alive and well.

This year Malaga has more than 70 nativity scenes available, ranging from the classic ones set up in the Cathedral or the Town Hall to the more popular ones such as La Mosca or Carretera de Cádiz. All of them have their own charm and unique particularities that make them worth visiting.

One of the most spectacular was unveiled this weekend in the patio de banderas of Malaga Town Hall. The municipal nativity scene is classic, monumental and has more than 400 figures and details with references to Malaga. It occupies an area of 150 square metres and narrates the different biblical scenes in chronological order. On this occasion, it begins with a large seascape in a humble neighbourhood by the sea, with an espetero selling fish and a carpenter repairing a fishing boat. Both adults and young people can enjoy a recreational facility that can be visited from ten in the morning to two in the afternoon and from 5pm to 9pm.

Another classic is the one that can be visited in Malaga Cathedral. It occupies an area of 70 square metres and contains around 400 figures. Located in the Cathedral's choir loft, it is the nativity set up by the Malaga Nativity Association 'La Alcazaba'. Around a quarter of the figures and scenes that the cathedral nativity scene includes are new, such as the Flight into Egypt, with figures created exclusively for that moment, such as the painters of the frescoes, the bricklayer measuring with a plumb line or the architects reviewing the plans.

Another spectacular nativity scene worth a visit is the one set up at the headquarters of the Diputación Provincial, in the Carretera de Cádiz district. The Malaga nativity scene designer Diego Alonso, with the collaboration of Juan Francisco Moreno, has created an interactive nativity scene with 1,900 figures and unique corners of the province. This year it offers a new terrain, with some new features such as the Tajo de Ronda bridge and four fountains.

But there are many more: the one at the Museo Fundación Unicaja de Artes y Costumbres Populares, the one in the La Mosca neighbourhood, at the Museo de la Aduana, the one at the Museo del Vídrio.... All of them are well worth including into this Christmas stroll.

The aforementioned La Mosca nativity scene dates back to 1992 and is located on the outskirts of the city. The nativity scene is 22 metres long by five metres wide and has a total of 2,000 figures. It's based on biblical scenes and started when a resident, Félix Trujillo, discovered a natural site that allows this nativity scene to integrate part of the rocks on the mountainside, making it a landmark in which children are amazed by the number of moving elements and by the route that allows them to start the tour with a daytime nativity scene, as if by magic, to also see it at night.

Also made by the craftsman Enrique Haro, this year the Unicaja Foundation Museum of Arts and Customs is displaying a unique nativity scene which can be visited from ten in the morning to two in the afternoon and from four to seven, except on public holidays, when it is closed in the afternoon. And with regards to the 73 nativity scenes that are distributed around the Costa del Sol, it is also worth mentioning the one put on by the Zegrí Cultural Association in the parish of San Pablo. It is a Renaissance nativity scene that can be visited from nine in the morning to one in the afternoon and from 5pm to 8pm.

The Neapolitan style nativity scene of the Dolores del Puente Brotherhood is also fascinating, made up of sixty pieces inspired by Spanish baroque and Andalusian architecture, which this year, incorporates new figures made by Jesús Rosa.

This route also includes the nativity scene in the San Miguel Historical Cemetery, which consists of twenty handcrafted mysteries under the title 'A tour of the nativity scenes of South America', from the Alejandra Aranda collection, or the one in the Museo del Vídrio y Cristal, which displays a nativity scene made up of two hundred porcelain figures by Lladró.