Bigger cast in Bacolod’s 20th Christmas Village run

THE CHRISTMAS Village never fails to fascinate children like Denise Loyola and Zhye Tonogbanua who come and visit it. Philip Loyola/CONTRIBUTOR

BACOLOD CITY – An artist-designer has opened again the doors of his ancestral home on San Juan Street in Bacolod City, for the young and old alike to feast their eyes on his Christmas village.

Now on its 20th year, Bamboo Tonogbanua’s holiday attraction features new characters, like Princess Elsa, who possesses cryokinetic powers to produce ice, frost and snow, Olaf, the snowman who dreams of experiencing summer and the rest of the cast of the movie “Frozen” in their snow-covered castle next to the pink one where Cinderella and Tinkerbell “live.”

The Christmas Village opened on Dec. 1 and would run until Jan. 4.

Guests are greeted by Santa Claus dancing to the music “Here Comes Santa Claus.”

Tonogbanua said seeing his visitors—from very young children to 96-year-old adults—happy brings him fulfillment.

Thousands of people have so far visited the Christmas Village since it opened in 1994. Tonogbanua’s collections then were of miniature Christmas houses and objects.

Since his childhood days, Tonogbanua had always been fascinated by Victorian and New England villages on Christmas cards. He decided to recreate them in a Christmas village, measuring 32 square feet.

The place slowly grew both in length and in height as his collections increased, many of which were bought during his travels abroad or given by his friends and relatives.

Now, his Christmas village is 10-foot high from where Maleficent’s dragon, Diaval, flies by iconic buildings in the clouds to its earthbound objects in a 6 by 8 meter room.

Tonogbanua said he had never once thought of closing down the site. Every year, he has something new and exciting to add to it. “And the miniature houses are getting better and better,” he said.

This year, there are mountain climbers, too. Four trains run through railways around the village that features iconic architectural wonders and scenes of Christmas—from Alaska, China, Spain, Amsterdam, Egypt, France, Switzerland, India, United States and The Netherlands to the fantasy worlds of Harry Potter and famous fairy tales.