NATIVITY SCENE

A 'nativity scene', also called a 'crib' or 'crèche' (meaning "crib" or "manger" in French) generally refers to any depiction of the birth or birthplace of Jesus. In Italy it is known as 'presepe'; in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America the name goes between ''belén'', ''nacimiento'' or ''pesebre''. In Poland is was known as szopka, from Polish for "small crib", in Croatian language ''jaslice'' and in Belarus as batleyka, from Bethlehem. In Russian and Ukrainian culture there was a type of portable Christmas puppet theatre called vertep.
Christian nativity scenes, in two dimensions (drawings, paintings, icons, etc.) or three (sculpture or other three-dimensional crafts), usually show Jesus in a manger, Joseph and Mary in a barn (or cave) intended to accommodate farm animals. A donkey and an ox accompany them; besides the necessity of animals for a manger, this is an allusion to Isaiah: "the ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib; but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider" (Is. 1:3). The scene sometimes includes the Magi or Three Wise Men (with or without a camel), shepherds and sheep, angels, and the Star of Bethlehem. The traditional scenes that show the shepherds and Magi together are of course not true to the Bible story, since the Magi arrived much later (Matthew 2:1-12) than the shepherds (Luke 2:7-16), and since Matthew indicates that the Holy Family were no longer in the stable at that stage.

At Christmas time these arrangements are created and displayed in Catholic and Protestant homes, churches and parks.
For the Christmas season, two nativity scenes are put on display at the Vatican. The first is put inside the Vatican Basilica. The second, placed in the Piazza San Pietro before the Christmas Tree, was made by Saint Vincent Pallotti.
Although drawings and paintings existed earlier, St Francis of Assisi is credited with the invention of three-dimensional nativity scenes. Some fairytale versions claim he used statues or costumed people, but Thomas of Celano, the biographer of Francis tells how he only used a straw-filled manger (feeding trough) set between a real ox and donkey. According to Thomas, it was beautiful in its simplicity with the manger acting as the altar for the Christmas Mass.
In 1562 the Jesuits put up a crib in Prague which is considered the first crib of the modern kind.
The tradition was brought into Spain from Naples during the reign of Charles III of Spain.

In Provence, in the South of France, nativity scenes are sometimes composed of hundreds of small painted clay figurines, called ''santons'', representing all the traditional trades and professions of old Provence. Because of their cultural value the ''santons'' are often collected as art or craft objects, regardless of their possible use in a nativity scene.
In Mexico and in certain parts of Central America, it is traditional to build the nativity scene on December 16, the day of the first Posada. In Colombia the Christmas decorations, including but not limited to the pesebre and the Christmas tree, are put in place on December 8, a holiday know as ''dia de las velitas'' (candle's day). Traditionally, the scene is completed as time goes by. Baby Jesus is not added until December 24, and in the following days the shepherd is placed. The Three Wise Men are not included in the nativity scene until January 6, Three King's Day. The nativity scene is traditionally not taken down until February 2, Candlemas, which marks the end of the Epiphany season. In Latin America, it may be taken down near January 15, when the holiday season is over and schools, colleges, and companies are preparing to reopen.


In some places in Spain, such as Parets del Vallès, monumental indoor nativity scenes are built. They can be as big as 280 m², using more than 12,000 Kg of sand, 3,000 Kg of stones, 1,500 Kg of cork, and more than 800 figures. Light effects, water streams, rain, music, and automatons are used to give a realistic touch to the scene.
In Catalonia and the Basque Country, hiding in the background of the nativity scene is the ''caganer'' (Catalan "crapper"), a figure of a defecating man. There is no attempt at incorporating the figure into the narrative of the nativity; he is apparently a reflection of Catalan irreverence and scatological humour. Large public cribs often have a caricature of a disliked public figure as the ''caganer''.
In the town hall of The Hague there is a yearly tradition to erect a life-size nativity scene with living and breathing animals and humans: namely donkeys, oxes and camels borrowed from a nearby zoo and as a stand in for the kings and shepherds, bums and junkies.

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See also

External links

See also

★ Fontanini Heirloom Nativity Sets

External links

★ Roman presepi

★ THE MESSAGE OF THE CHILD - Original Nativity scenes made with natural stones

★ The Neapolitan Crib (Presepe)

★ INTERNATIONAL CRECHE SCHOOL - History of Nativities and instructions for building them