Belen Festival '07

For this year however, the contest has been expanded to include entries from the other towns in Quezon province. Letters of invitation signed by STC President Rev. Fr. Andrew S. Hernandez, and Mayor Rosauro V. Masilang, STC Chairperson, were given to the respective Tourism Council representatives of Candelaria, Tiaong, San Antonio and Dolores, as well as Lucena City, Tayabas City, Lucban and Pagbilao, during the recently concluded 13th Southern Tagalog Tourism Council Assembly held at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena from October 18 – 20, 2007. Addressed to the respective Mayors of the said localities, this goodwill gesture was done with the hope of facilitating the representation and participation of our neighboring communities to this emerging Sariayahin tradition of celebrating the Christmas cheer.

The winners will receive:

First Prize: Fifty Thousand Pesos (Php 50, 000)
Second Prize: Thirty Thousand Pesos (Php30, 000)
Third Prize: Twenty Thousand Pesos (Php20, 000)

Non – Sariayahin entries will be allowed only one slot per town. The mechanics of this contest will be as follows:

1. Ninety per cent (90%) of the materials to be used in Belen – making should be indigenous to Quezon province such as: coconut and by – products, bamboo, anahaw, rice and by – products, buntal, buli, raffia, shells and other marine by-products, sand, stone, nipa, bunga, cogon, and the like.
2. Ten per cent (10%) of the materials will be enhancers such as paint, glitters, lights, fabrics, paper, aluminum foil, and the like.
3. The area for the Belen design should be 2 meters deep and 3 meters wide.
4. The location for each contestant’s Belen entry should be determined via the draw lots method.
5. Construction of the Belen can start on the morning of December 12, 2007 but should be done by twelve o’clock high noon of December 15, 2007.
6. The design should be durable enough to withstand December weather.
7. A declaration of the expenses will be submitted to encourage lesser cost and resourcefulness in the use of indigenous materials.
8. The deadline for the submission of entries will be on Saturday, December 1, 2007.
9. The judging will be done by five previously selected non – Sariayahin individuals during the opening of the festival on December 15, 2007, while the announcement of winners and the giving of the respective prizes will be on December 23, 2007.

Criteria for Judging
Ingenuity 20%
Creativity 30%
Design: 50%
Aesthetics of the 90%:10% ratio: 10%
Materials used 30%
Durability 10%

While the Sariayahin hosts will be responsible for the over-all security of the festival venue, the contestants themselves will be held liable for the immediate security of their Belen entries, as well as their personal belongings. Likewise, the Sariaya Tourism Council in its capacity as the organizer of the “Paskuhan Sa Sariaya” has the reserved right to immediately disqualify any entry that violates the specifications so stated in the mechanics of the contest. Furthermore, the decision of the five-member panel of judges will be final and irrevocable.

As in the past two years, a receiving area or ”Pundohan” will be provided by the organizers for the guests and visitors, especially during the opening and the awarding ceremonies. Likewise, there will a sellers’ booth for enterprising “Kababayans” who might wish to earn extra income for the Holidays, care of their Christmas – oriented merchandize. The advent of two “Simbang Gabis”, the early evening mass from December 15 – 23, and the pre dawn “Misa de Gallo” from December 16 – 24, together with the added presence of tourists from our neighboring towns, if ever, will be incentive enough to do business in the area for the duration of the festival. They will be encouraged to present their wares in an organized, systematic and sanitary manner, true to the spirit and character of a Pinoy (Sariayahin) Christmas.

It is hoped that this expanded Belen – making contest, the soul of this one-of-a-kind festivity, will showcase and promote the Christmas – oriented folk artistry and practical resourcefulness of all the participants in crafting their life – size interpretations of Jesus Christ’s birth. Such will serve as a way of encouraging the giving and sharing of ideas that is another example of the true spirit of Christmas and the joy of the Nativity, as only we residents of Quezon province can express in our characteristic creative manner.