A nativity scene may be used to describe any depiction of the Nativity of Jesus in art, but in the sense covered here, also called a crib or manger in the UK and crèche in France (meaning "crib" or "manger" in French), it means a three-dimensional commercial or folk art depiction of the birth or birthplace of Jesus, either sculpted or using two-dimensional (cut-out) figures arranged in a three-dimensional setting. Naples ( Napoli, Neapolitan: Nàpule) is a historic City in southern Italy, the Capital of the Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Nativity of Jesus has been a major subject of Christian art since the 4th century French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Folk art describes a wide range of objects that reflect the Craft traditions and traditional social values of various social groups Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE)
Christian nativity scenes, in two dimensions (drawings, paintings, icons, etc. For depictions in painting and sculpture see Nativity of Jesus in art. An icon (from Greek εἰκών eikōn, "image" is a religious work of art most commonly a painting from Eastern Christianity. ) 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 manger is a trough or box of carved stone or wood construction used to hold Food for Animals (as in a Stable) Joseph "of the House of David " ( Hebrew יוֹסֵף also known as Saint Joseph, Joseph the Betrothed, Joseph of Nazareth A barn is an agricultural building used for storage and as a covered workplace A cave is a natural underground void large enough for a human to enter 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. The donkey or ass, Equus asinus, is a member of the Equidae or horse family and an odd-toed ungulate. Oxen (singular ox) are Cattle trained as draft animals. Often they are adult castrated males The Book of Isaiah ( Hebrew: Sefer Y'sha'yah ספר ישעיה is a book of the Bible traditionally attributed to the Prophet Isaiah, who lived 1:3). The ox and donkey represent the people of Israel and the Gentiles respectively in such depicitions. The term Gentile (from Latin, gentilis, meaning of or belonging to a clan or tribe refers to non- Israelite tribes or nations in the Bible. The scene sometimes includes the Magi or Three Wise Men (with or without a camel), shepherds and sheep, angels, and the Star of Bethlehem. "Three Kings" or "Three Wise Men" redirects here Camels are Even-toed ungulates within the Genus Camelus. The Dromedary, one-humped or Arabian camel has a single hump and the A shepherd is a person who tends to feeds or guards Sheep, especially in flocks An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition See also Star of Bethlehem (plant. The Star of Bethlehem, also called the Christmas Star, is a star in Christian tradition The traditional scenes that show the shepherds and Magi together combine two different events in the Gospels: (1) the shepherds are informed by angels that "for to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord" (Matthew 2:10-11). The Gospel of Matthew (Gk Κατά Ματθαίον Ευαγγέλιον is one of the four Canonical gospels in the New Testament and is a Synoptic gospel (2) "When [the Magi] saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him" (Luke 2:11)
At Christmas time these arrangements are created and displayed in Catholic and Protestant homes, churches and parks. The Gospel of Luke (Gk Κατά Λουκάν Ευαγγέλιον) is a synoptic Gospel, and is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels of the For the Christmas season, two nativity scenes are put on display at the Vatican. The first is put inside the Vatican Basilica. The Basilica of Saint Peter (Basilica Sancti Petri officially known in Italian as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as St The second, placed in the Piazza San Pietro before the Christmas Tree, was made by Saint Vincent Pallotti. Saint Peter's Square, or Saint Peter's Piazza ( Italian: Piazza San Pietro) is located directly in front of St A Christmas tree, Yule tree, holiday tree or Tannenbaum (fir tree is one of the most popular Traditions associated with the celebration Vincenzo Pallotti ( April 21, 1785 - January 22, 1850) was an Italian ecclesiastical (a priest of Rome born in Rome and Saint.
Many churches and individuals leave the manager empty (without the baby Jesus) until Christmas Day to reflect that Jesus has not yet been born before then.
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St. Francis and the origin of the Nativity scene
After his return to Italy from a voyage to Egypt and Acre in 1220, St Francis of Assisi introduced three-dimensional nativity scenes. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. The acre is a unit of Area in a number of different systems including the imperial and U For the opera by Olivier Messiaen see Saint-François d'Assise. Some accounts state 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. A statue is a Sculpture in the round representing a person or persons an animal or an event normally full-length as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size The term costume can refer to Wardrobe and dress in general or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people class or period Thomas of Celano (Tommaso da Celano c 1200 &ndash c 1260-1270 was an Italian Friar of the Franciscans (Order of Friars Minor a poet and the author Biographers are Authors who write an account of another person's life while autobiographers are authors who write their own Biography. A manger is a trough or box of carved stone or wood construction used to hold Food for Animals (as in a Stable) According to Thomas, it was beautiful in its simplicity with the manger acting as the altar for the Christmas Mass. Francis's first biographer, Brother Tommaso da Celano, says that Francis was merely emulating what he had seen elsewhere in previous years when, in 1223, he asked his friend Giovanni Velita, a nobleman from the nearby town of Greccio, to construct a nativity scene, consisting of the straw-filled manger, ox and donkey, in a cave near the town of Greccio, for a Christmas Eve mass at which Francis preached.
In 1562 the Jesuits put up a crib in Prague which is considered the first crib of the modern kind. The Society of Jesus ( Latin: Societas Iesu, SJ and SI or SJ, SI) is a Catholic religious order Prague (ˈprɑːg Praha (ˈpraɦa see also other names) is the Capital and Largest city of the Czech Republic.
Different traditions
The tradition was brought into Spain from Naples during the reign of Charles III of Spain. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The Kingdom of Naples was an informal name of the Polity officially known as the Kingdom of Sicily which existed on the mainland of the southern Italian Charles III ( January 20, 1716 – December 14, 1788) was King of Spain 1700–88 (as Carlos III King of Naples and
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. Provence ( Provençal Occitan: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm is a region of southeastern France This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. A santon is a small hand-painted figurine cast in Terracotta or a similar material that is used for building Nativity scenes Santons are a traditional product 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. The town of Parets del Vallès is near Barcelona (23 km in Catalonia, Spain. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Events 755 - An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Fanyang, initiating the An Shi Rebellion 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). Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. A Christmas tree, Yule tree, holiday tree or Tannenbaum (fir tree is one of the most popular Traditions associated with the celebration Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. 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. Events 563 - The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by Earthquakes The Three Wise Men are not included in the nativity scene until January 6, Three King's Day. "Three Kings" or "Three Wise Men" redirects here Events 1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King Epiphany ( Greek for "to manifest" or "to show" is a Christian Feast day which celebrates the "shining forth" or revelation of The nativity scene is traditionally not taken down until February 2, Candlemas, which marks the end of the Epiphany season. Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus, and falls on or around 2 February. 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. Events 588 BC - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah 's reign
In some places in Spain, such as Parets del Vallès, monumental indoor nativity scenes are built. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The town of Parets del Vallès is near Barcelona (23 km in Catalonia, Spain. 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. Sand is a naturally occurring Granular material composed of finely divided rock and Mineral particles In Geology, rock is a naturally occurring aggregate of Minerals and/or Mineraloids The Earth's outer solid layer the ‘ Lithosphere Cork material is a Prime-subset of generic cork tissue, harvested for commercial use primarily from the Cork Oak tree Quercus Light effects, water streams, rain, music, and automatons are used to give a realistic touch to the scene. This article is about a self-operating machine For other uses of Automaton see Automaton (disambiguation or Automata (disambiguation.
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. Catalonia (Cataluña Catalunya Aranese: Catalonha) is an Autonomous Community in the northeast part of Spain. The Basque Country ( Basque Euskadi, Spanish País Vasco) is an autonomous community in northern Spain. A Caganer (kəɣəˈne is a little statue found in Catalonia, in neighbouring areas with Catalan culture such as Andorra, and in other parts of Spain Portugal and Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official Defecation is the final act of Digestion by which organisms eliminate solid semisolid or liquid Waste material ( Faeces) from the Digestive tract 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. Toilet humour, or scatological humour, is a type of off-colour humour dealing with Defecation, Urination, Flatulence, Vomiting 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.
Names in other languages
In Italy it is known as presepe or presepio; in Portuguese it is known as presépio, in Catalan as pessebre, in Spanish the name goes between El Belén (for Bethlehem, where Jesus was born) and also Nacimiento, Portal or Pesebre. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official Bethlehem ( بيت لحم,, lit "House of Meat" Βηθλεέμ Bethleém בית לחם Beit Lehem, lit "House of Bread" is a The Czech names are betlém and jesličky. In Poland is was known as szopka, from Polish for "small crib", in Croatian language jaslice and in Belarus as batleyka, from Bethlehem. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Kraków szopka ( pron shop-ka) or nativity scene (crib crèche (Szopka krakowska is a Christmas tradition originating from Kraków, Croatian language ( hrvatski jezik) is a South Slavic language which is used primarily in Croatia, by Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina in neighbouring Belarus ( Belarusian Беларусь / Biełaruś is a Landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east Vertep ( Ukrainian and Вертеп was a kind of portable Puppet theatre and the corresponding type of Drama in the culture of East Slavs ( Bethlehem ( بيت لحم,, lit "House of Meat" Βηθλεέμ Bethleém בית לחם Beit Lehem, lit "House of Bread" is a In Russian and Ukrainian culture there was a type of portable Christmas puppet theatre called vertep. Russian culture is one that is rich and colorful Russians have a rich cuisine. The Culture of Ukraine is a result of influence over millennia from the West and East with an assortment of strong culturally-identified Ethnic groups A puppet is a representational figure manipulated by a Puppeteer. Vertep ( Ukrainian and Вертеп was a kind of portable Puppet theatre and the corresponding type of Drama in the culture of East Slavs ( In the Philippines, it is called a Belen (due to Spanish Influence). The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP
See also
- Kraków szopka a Polish variant
- Fontanini Heirloom Nativity Sets
- Nativiti scene - Florece, Italy - Video details
External links
- Official site of the 'Presepio Elettronico' in Rome. With a wery large forum and the section 'Tecniche di costruzione' with instructions for the achievement of special effects (in italian)
- Roman presepi
- The message of the child — Original Nativity scenes made with natural stones
- The Neapolitan Crib (Presepe)
- International crèche school - History of Nativities and instructions for building them
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