Armando Hermida Bolaños started building belens, or nativity scenes, when he was a child.
“I started making nativity sets with my dad,” he explained. “Once I became a dad, I enjoyed the holiday season making nativity scenes at home with my kids and wife.”
Self-described as crafty and creative, Hermida Bolaños said designing and building the belens are his favorite part of the process. Over the years, his belens have ranged from traditional to exotic. Hermida Bolaños said each belen takes approximately 30-40 days to complete with him spending several hours per day working on it.
In the past 12 years, he has begun sharing this passion with others by designing belens more professionally. Many of his belens have been displayed in downtown Rota as well as sent further away to towns such as Madrid.
“The belen that represents Rota old lighthouse won first prize in 2019,” said Hermida Bolaños. “In 2022, I won second prize for Rota store displays contest. I would also like to add my Egyptian-style belen was created for a regional seminar.”
Hermida Bolaños has worked on base since December 1987 and is an accounting technician for Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR). His daily duties include asset inventories, main warehouse transfers, approving purchases for MWR cardholders, and more. His daily job may not encourage the creative inspiration that he gets from creating belens but he enjoys his work on base.
“There are many things that I enjoy about my job,” he said. “But I like breaks with my coworkers and the laughter shared with them that makes my daily duties more fun.”
In recent years, Hermida Bolaños and his coworkers festively decorate their office for several holidays. During the Christmas holiday season, the team puts up an impressive belen within the MWR administrative department.
This year is no different with Hermida Bolaños creating a new belen that will be displayed in downtown Rota (Sanchez-Meijas Pharmacy on Calle Maria Auxiliadora). When asked to describe it, he joked that it is “still a secret!” Rota community members will just have to check out the holiday lights and belens downtown to see Hermida Bolaños has created!
| Date Taken: |
11.30.2023 |
| Date Posted: |
11.30.2023 03:00 |
| Story ID: |
458756 |
| Location: |
ES |
| Hometown: |
ROTA, ES |
| Web Views: |
258 |
| Downloads: |
0 |
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This work, Rota Employee, Armando Hermida Bolaño, Creates Beautiful Nativities, by Courtney Pollock, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
