nativity scene

{{Short description|Representation of the birth of Christianity }}

File:Carnegie Presepio.JPG at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh]]

In the Christian tradition, a nativity scene (also known as a manger scene, crib, crèche ({{IPAc-en|k|r|ɛ|ʃ}} or {{IPAc-en|k|r|eɪ|ʃ}}), or in Italian presepio or presepe, or Bethlehem) is the special exhibition, particularly during the Christmas season, of art objects representing the birth of Jesus.Berliner, R. The Origins of the Creche. Gazette des Beaux-Arts, 30 (1946), p. 251. While the term "nativity scene" may be used of any representation of the very common subject of the Nativity of Jesus in art, it has a more specialized sense referring to seasonal displays, in particular sets of individual sculptural figures and props that are arranged for display.

Other characters from the nativity story, such as shepherds, sheep, and angels may be displayed near the manger in a barn (or cave) intended to accommodate farm animals, as described in the Gospel of Luke. A donkey and an ox are typically depicted in the scene, and the Magi and their camels, described in the Gospel of Matthew, are also included. Many also include a representation of the Star of Bethlehem. Several cultures add other characters and objects that may or may not be Biblical.

The first living nativity scene, attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi, occurred in 1223 in the Italian town of Greccio. Francis had been inspired by his visit to the Holy Land, where he had been shown Jesus's traditional birthplace.

Distinctive nativity scenes and traditions have been created around the world, and are displayed during the Christmas season in churches, homes, shopping malls, and other venues, and occasionally on public lands and in public buildings. Nativity scenes have not escaped controversy, and in the United States of America and in secular countries like France, their inclusion on public lands or in public buildings has provoked court challenges.

Origins and early history

File:Giotto - Legend of St Francis - -13- - Institution of the Crib at Greccio.jpg by Giotto, 1295]]

The tradition of the nativity scene comes from Italy. One of the earliest representation in art of the nativity was found in the early Christian Roman catacomb of Saint Valentine.{{cite book |last1=Osborne |first1=John |title=Rome in the Eighth Century: A History in Art |date=31 May 2020 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-108-87372-7 |page=31 |language=English}} It dates to about AD 380.{{cite book |last1=Tuleja |first1=Thaddeus F. |title=Curious Customs: The Stories Behind More Than 300 Popular American Rituals |date=1999 |publisher=BBS Publishing Corporation |isbn=978-1-57866-070-4 |language=English |quote=Francis Weiser (1952) says that the first known depiction of the nativity scene, found in the catacombs of Rome, dates from AD 380.}} Another, of similar date, is beneath the pulpit in Sant'Ambrogio, Milan, carved on Stilicho's sarcophagus.{{cite web|url=https://blog.urbanfile.org/2019/12/25/milano-santambrogio-il-museo-diffuso-una-delle-piu-antiche-rappresentazioni-della-nativita/|title=Milano-Sant'Ambrogio – Il museo diffuso: una delle più antiche rappresentazioni della natività|date=25 December 2019 |access-date=24 December 2024|language=it}}

The first seasonal nativity scene, which seems to have been a dramatic rather than sculptural rendition, is attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi. Dues, Greg.Catholic Customs and Traditions: A Popular Guide Twenty-Third Publications, 2000.Thomas, George F.. Vitality of the Christian Tradition. Ayer Co. Publishing, 1944.{{Cite web|url=http://mylivingnativity.org|title=#MyLivingNativity|website=Upper Room Books|language=en-us|access-date=2018-10-31|archive-date=2021-11-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107122421/https://upperroombooks.com/mylivingnativity/|url-status=live}} Its creation{{cite book |last1=Matheson |first1=Lister M. |title=Icons of the Middle Ages: Rulers, Writers, Rebels, and Saints |date=2012 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-34080-2 |page=324 |language=English |quote=He was responsible for staging the first living Nativity scene or creche, in Christian history; and he was also Christianity's first stigmatic. He shares the honor of being patron saint of Italy with Saint Catherine of Siena. His feast day is celbrated on October 4, the day of his death; many churches, including the Anglican, Lutheran, and Episcopal churches, commemorate this with the blessing of the animals.}} is described by Saint Bonaventure in his Life of Saint Francis of Assisi {{circa|1260}}.{{cite web|last=St. Bonaventure|title=The Life of St. Francis of Assisi|url=http://www.ecatholic2000.com/bonaventure/assisi/francis.shtml|work=e-Catholic 2000|access-date=28 September 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140614095831/http://www.ecatholic2000.com/bonaventure/assisi/francis.shtml|archive-date=14 June 2014}}

Saint Francis' manger scene is said to have been enacted at Christmas 1223 in a cave near the Sanctuary of Greccio in the Central Italy town of Greccio. The very small chapel where it is said to have taken place survives. The painting over its altar, and others before 1400, by Giotto at the Assisi Lower Church, and by Antonio Vite in Pistoia, depict Saint Francis kneeling and placing a small baby into a chest-like manger. Giotto adds a miniature ox and ass.

File:Santa Maria Maggiore 24 (cropped).jpg, Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome {{circa|1290}}]]

A substantial set of stone figures by Arnolfo di Cambio, a leading sculptor of the day, was made for Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome around 1290. The surviving portion includes figures for the Holy Family, the Three Kings, and the ox and ass from the neck up.

The scene's popularity inspired much imitation throughout Christian countries, and in the early modern period sculpted cribs, often exported from Italy, were set up in many Christian churches and homes.{{cite book |last1=Orsini |first1=Joseph E. |title=Italian Family Cooking |date=2000 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-312-24225-1 |language=English |quote=In later centuries the Nativity scenes became beautiful works of art in wooden sculptures and ceramic figures. The most remarkable ones were created in southern Italy, especially in Naples, Calabria, and Sicily, Today, in most Christian homes the Presepio, Creche, or Nativity Scene is in a special place of honor reserved for it beneath the Christmas tree. In both Italy and in Italian parishes...the Nativity Scenes is placed, significantly, right in front of the main altar of the church, and Christmas trees adorn the spaces behind or on the side of the altar.}} These elaborate scenes reached their artistic apogee in the Papal State, in Emilia, in the Kingdom of Naples and in Genoa. In the tradition of the Moravian Church, nativity scenes have been the center of the Christmas putz, which is "built to tell the Good News of the coming of the Christ Child" and "is the Gospel in miniature from Isaiah’s prophecy and Mary’s annunciation to the visit of the wisemen and the flight into Egypt."{{cite web |title=The Putz and Illumination |url=https://www.moravian.org/2018/11/the-putz-and-illumination/ |publisher=Moravian Church |access-date=3 December 2023 |language=English |date=19 November 2018}}{{cite web |last1=Hillinger |first1=Charles |title=The Star of Bethlehem Is Moravian Church Tradition |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-12-25-vw-21256-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=3 December 2023 |language=English |date=25 December 1985}}

File:Nativity (Victor of Crete).png of Cretan School by Victor circa 1676]]

For Moravian Christians, the nativity scene serves to celebrate "the story of the wonder of Christ’s birth so that the Son of God can be welcomed into the hearts of the home at the Christmas." By the end of the 19th century nativity scenes became widely popular in many Christian denominations, and many versions in various sizes and made of various materials, such as terracotta, paper, wood, wax, and ivory, were marketed, often with a backdrop setting of a stable.{{cite web|url= http://www.gbod.org/resources/introduction-to-christmas-season|title= Introduction to Christmas Season|year= 2013|work= General Board of Discipleship (GBOD)|publisher= The United Methodist Church|access-date= 5 January 2015|quote= Christmas is a season of praise and thanksgiving for the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ, which begins with Christmas Eve (December 24 after sundown) or Day and continues through the Day of Epiphany. The name Christmas comes from the season's first service, the Christ Mass. Epiphany comes from the Greek word epiphania, which means "manifestation." New Year's Eve or Day is often celebrated in the United Methodist tradition with a Covenant Renewal Service. In addition to acts and services of worship for the Christmas Season on the following pages, see The Great Thanksgivings and the scripture readings for the Christmas Season in the lectionary.... Signs of the season include a Chrismon tree, a nativity scene (include the magi on the Day of Epiphany), a Christmas star, angels, poinsettias, and roses.|archive-date= 6 January 2015|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150106002441/http://www.gbod.org/resources/introduction-to-christmas-season|url-status= live}}

Different traditions of nativity scenes emerged in different countries. Hand-painted santons are popular in Provence. In southern Germany, Austria and Trentino-Alto Adige, the wooden figurines are handcut. Colorful szopki are typical in Poland.

In the United States, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City annually displays a Neapolitan Baroque nativity scene before a {{convert|20|ft}} blue spruce.{{cite web |url=http://www.metmuseum.org/press/news/2015/holiday-programming |title=Met Museum Celebrates Christmas andHanukkah at Main Building and Cloisters | the Metropolitan Museum of Art |date=17 November 2015 |access-date=2016-12-21 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221165921/http://www.metmuseum.org/press/news/2015/holiday-programming |archive-date=2016-12-21 }}

Components

=Static nativity scenes=

File:BarcelonaNativityScene.jpg (2009)]]

Static nativity scenes depict Jesus, Mary, Joseph, farm animals, and sometimes other characters.{{Cite web |last=Burke |first=Jennifer |date=30 November 2021 |title=Christmas creches help Catholics enter into Nativity story |url=https://catholiccourier.com/articles/christmas-creches-help-catholics-enter-into-nativity-story/ |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=Catholic Courier |language=en-US}} While most home nativity scenes are packed away at Christmas or shortly thereafter, nativity scenes in churches usually remain on display until the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

The nativity scene may not accurately reflect gospel events. With no basis in the gospels, for example, the shepherds, the Magi, and the ox and ass may be displayed together at the manger. The art form can be traced back to eighteenth-century Naples, Italy. Neapolitan nativity scenes do not represent Bethlehem at the time of Jesus but the life of the Naples of 1700, during the Bourbon period. Families competed with each other to produce the most elegant and elaborate scenes and so, next to the Child Jesus, to the Holy Family and the shepherds, were placed ladies and gentlemen of the nobility, representatives of the bourgeoisie of the time, vendors with their banks and miniatures of cheese, bread, sheep, pigs, ducks or geese, and typical figures of the time like Roma fortune tellers predicting the future, people playing cards, housewives doing shopping, dogs, cats and chickens.[http://citiesitaly.com/destinations/naples/the-neapolitan-crib "Neapolitan Crib: The crib and 1700s Naples."] {{webarchive|url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20131220062628/http://citiesitaly.com/destinations/naples/the-neapolitan-crib |date=20 December 2013 }}. CitiesItaly.com. Retrieved 18 December 2013.

=Living nativity scenes=

File:Sicilian artigiana 2.jpg, which also contains a mock rural 19th-century village]]

In southern Italy, living nativity scenes (presepe vivente) are extremely popular. They may be elaborate affairs, featuring not only the classic nativity scene but also a mock rural 19th-century village, complete with artisans in traditional costumes working at their trades. These attract many visitors and have been televised on RAI. In 2010, the old city of Matera in Basilicata hosted the world's largest living nativity scene of the time, which was performed in the historic center, Sassi.{{cite web|title=Most people in a nativity scene: Welton Baptist Church sets world record|url=http://www.worldrecordacademy.com/mass/most_people_in_a_nativity_scene_Welton_Baptist_Church_sets_world_record_112612.html|access-date=6 January 2015|publisher=worldrecordacademy.com|date=4 December 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304033101/http://www.worldrecordacademy.com/mass/most_people_in_a_nativity_scene_Welton_Baptist_Church_sets_world_record_112612.html|archive-date=4 March 2016}}

=Animals in nativity scenes=

File:9821 - Milano - Sant'Ambrogio - Sarcofago di Stilicone - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto 25-Apr-2007.jpg

A donkey (or ass) and an ox typically appear in nativity scenes. Besides the necessity of animals for an operating manger, this is an allusion to the Book of Isaiah: "the ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib; but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider" (Isaiah 1:3). The Gospels mention neither an ox and nor a donkey, however.Hobgood-Oster, Laura. Holy Dogs and Asses: Animals in the Christian Tradition. University of Illinois Press, 2008. {{ISBN|0-252-03213-6}}. The first Christian writer to mention the ox and the ass in the stable in Bethlehem is Origen of Alexandria.{{cite book |author=Origen |title=Homilies on Luke |url=https://archive.org/details/homiliesonlukefr0000orig/page/55/ |quote="That was the manger of which the inspired prophet said, 'The ox knows his owner and the ass his master’s manger.' The ox is a clean animal, the ass an unclean animal. 'The ass knows his master’s manger.' The people of Israel did not know their Lord’s manger, but an unclean animal from among the Gentiles did."}} Another source for the tradition might be the extracanonical text, the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew of the 7th century.{{cite book | title=John Gill's Exposition of the Bible | url=http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/habakkuk-3-2.html | year=1748–1763 | author-link=John Gill (theologian) | last=Gill | first=John | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100821011101/http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/habakkuk-3-2.html | archive-date=2010-08-21 }}{{cite book | title=The Eucharist in Romanesque France: iconography and theology | last=Saxon | first=Elizabeth | page=107 | publisher=Boydell Press | isbn=978-1-84383-256-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5DwQB4_6tG0C&q=Habakkuk+%22Between+two+animals%22&pg=PA107 | year=2006 | access-date=2020-10-19 | archive-date=2021-11-07 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107122436/https://books.google.com/books?id=5DwQB4_6tG0C&q=Habakkuk+%22Between+two+animals%22&pg=PA107 | url-status=live }}

File:Esslingen - Weihnachtskrippe.jpg

Traditions

=Australia=

File:Australian Nativity Scene, 2012.jpg

Christmas is celebrated by Australians in a number of ways. In Australia, it is summer season and is very hot during Christmas time.

During the Christmas time, locals and visitors visit places around their towns and suburbs to view the outdoor and indoor displays. All over the towns, the places are lit with colorful and modern spectacular lighting displays. The displays of nativity scenes with Aussie featured native animals like kangaroos and koalas are also evident.{{Citation needed|date=January 2020}}

In Melbourne, a traditional and authentic nativity Scene is on display at St. Elizabeth's Parish, Dandenong North. This annual Australian Nativity Scene creator and artist Wilson Fernandez has been building and creating the traditional nativity scenes since 2003 at St. Elizabeth's Parish.{{Cite web|title = Australian Nativity Scene Homepage|url = http://www.australiannativityscene.org/|website = Australian Nativity Scene Homepage|access-date = 22 December 2015|url-status = live|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151223030046/http://www.australiannativityscene.org/|archive-date = 2015-12-23}}

To mark this special event, Most Reverend Denis Hart Archbishop of Melbourne celebrated the Vigil Mass and blessed the nativity scene on Saturday, 14 December 2013.{{Cite web|title = Kairos, Volume 25 Issue 23|url = http://www.cam.org.au/Portals/0/kairos/kairos_v25i23/index.html#18/z|website = www.cam.org.au|access-date = 22 December 2015|url-status = live|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304045850/http://www.cam.org.au/Portals/0/kairos/kairos_v25i23/index.html#18/z|archive-date = 2016-03-04}}

Australian Nativity Scene (ANS) gained popularity and recognition over the years and in December 2016, the Australian Channel 7 captured the news of this famous creativity.

Shalom World, the Catholic, commercial-free, 24/7, HD family entertainment channel, reached out to the world with a [https://www.shalomworld.org/episode/australian-nativity-scene-wilson-fernandez live telecast] on Australian Nativity Scene on 24 December 2022. On 2 December 2023, Australian Nativity Scene marked its 20 years—a great moment for [http://www.stelizabethsparish.org.au/ St Elizabeth’s Parish] in Dandenong. To mark this occasion, Archbishop Peter A Comensoli celebrated the Vigil Mass on the first Sunday of Advent (Saturday 2 December). Here is an article to mark the celebration - [https://melbournecatholic.org/news/back-in-time-australian-nativity-scene-celebrates-20-years ‘Back in time’: Australian Nativity Scene celebrates 20 years]

=Canada=

Bethlehem Live is an all-volunteer living nativity produced by Gateway Christian Community Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The production includes a reconstruction of the ancient town of Bethlehem and seven individual vignettes. There is also an annual, highly publicized nativity scene at the St. Patrick's Basilica, Ottawa in Ottawa, Ontario.{{cite news | url=http://www.cbc.ca/weekendmorning/episode/2010/12/12/doing-the-time-warp/ | title=Doing the time-warp | publisher=CBC News | date=12 December 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304000558/http://www.cbc.ca/weekendmorning/episode/2010/12/12/doing-the-time-warp/ | archive-date=4 March 2011 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=http://bethlehemlive.com/index.html|title=Business-Class Web Hosting by (mt) Media Temple|access-date=26 December 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304000537/http://bethlehemlive.com/index.html|archive-date=4 March 2016}}

=Czech Republic=

File:KJ hrad.jpg

The Czech Republic, and the cultures represented in its predecessors i.e. Czechoslovakia and the lands of former Bohemia, have a long tradition regarding betlémy (literally "Bethlehems"), crèches. The tradition of home nativity scenes is often traced to the 1782 ban of church and institutional crèches by emperor Joseph II, officially responding to public disturbances and the resulting "loss of dignity" of such displays.{{cite web|title=From Nutshells to Life‑size Statues|url=http://www.dzm.com/~zuzana/pics/misc-bus/mag/nativity.pdf|publisher=Bridge Publishing House|access-date=24 November 2013|date=December 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202235005/http://www.dzm.com/~zuzana/pics/misc-bus/mag/nativity.pdf|archive-date=2 December 2013}}{{cite news|last=Velinger|first=Jan|title=Czech Nativity scenes|url=http://www.radio.cz/en/section/czechs/czech-nativity-scenes|access-date=24 November 2013|date=7 December 2005|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203060737/http://www.radio.cz/en/section/czechs/czech-nativity-scenes|archive-date=3 December 2013}} As this followed the Edict of Toleration proclaimed the previous year, it reduced State support of the Catholic church in this multi-confessional land.{{cite web|url=http://nhart.schoolwires.net/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=2657&dataid=697&FileName=Joseph_II_Edict_of_Tolerat.pdf|title=Edict of Toleration (2 January 1782): Emperor Joseph II|publisher=New Hartford Central School District|location=New Hartford, New York|access-date=30 November 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203003605/http://nhart.schoolwires.net/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=2657&dataid=697&FileName=Joseph_II_Edict_of_Tolerat.pdf|archive-date=3 December 2013}}{{cite web|title=The Eighteenth Century|url=http://noemewv.nl/Kerkgeschiedenis/Tijdlijn/chrono18.html|publisher=LITURGIE &CETERA|access-date=24 November 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202232426/http://noemewv.nl/Kerkgeschiedenis/Tijdlijn/chrono18.html|archive-date=2 December 2013}}

==Třebechovice pod Orebem==

The Museum of Nativity Scenes in Třebechovice pod Orebem has over 400 examples dated from the 18th until early 20th century, including the Probošt's mechanical Christmas crib, so called Třebechovice's Bethlehem.

The issue of cost arose, and paper-cut crèches, "the crèche of the poor", became one major expression,{{cite news|last=Osborne|title=Paper Crèches|url=http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/baker-exhibit.html|access-date=24 November 2013|year=2004|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231125011/http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/baker-exhibit.html|archive-date=2014-12-31}} as well as wood-carved ones, some of them complex and detailed. Many major Czech artists, sculptors and illustrators have as a significant part of their legacy the crèches that they created.

The following people are known for creating Czech paper crèches:

Mikoláš Aleš (1852–1913), painter famed for his murals of the National Theatre
Josef Wenig (1885–1939), illustrator, theatre decorator and playwright
Josef Lada (1887–1957), known for his work in The Good Soldier Švejk
Marie Fischerová-Kvěchová (1892–1984), illustrator of a large number of children books

==Krýza's crèche==

Tomáš Krýza (1838–1918) built in a period of over 60 years a nativity scene covering 60 m² (length 17 m, size and height 2 m) which contains 1,398 figures of humans and animals, of which 133 are moveable. It is on display in southern Bohemian town Jindřichův Hradec. It figures as the largest mechanical nativity scene in the world in the Guinness Book of World Records.{{cite web|title=Krýza Nativity Scene|url=https://www.mjh.cz/en/museum-exposition/kryza-nativity-scene|publisher=Jindřichův Hradec Museum|access-date=2021-09-27|archive-date=2021-09-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901103357/https://www.mjh.cz/en/museum-exposition/kryza-nativity-scene|url-status=live}}

==Gingerbread crèches==

Gingerbread nativity scenes and cribs in the church of St. Matthew in Šárka (Prague 6 Dejvice) have around 200 figures and houses, the tradition dates from since 1972; every year new ones are baked and after holidays eaten.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

=Italy=

File:Campania_Caserta8_tango7174.jpg of the Royal Palace of Caserta.{{Cite web|date=2019-12-26|title=Presepe napoletano, la storia. Quali sono i personaggi e che significano|url=https://www.positanonews.it/2019/12/presepe-napoletano-la-storia-quali-personaggi-significano/3351502/|access-date=2021-01-26|website=Positanonews|language=it}}]]

Christmas in Italy begins on 8 December with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the day on which traditionally Christmas trees are erected, and ends on 6 January of the following year with Epiphany.{{Cite web|date=November 25, 2013|title=The Best Christmas Traditions in Italy|url=https://www.walksofitaly.com/blog/things-to-do/christmas-traditions-in-italy|access-date=January 26, 2021|website=Walks of Italy|language=en-GB}}

The Neapolitan nativity scene is a representation of the birth of Jesus traditionally set in Naples in the 18th century. The Neapolitan crib art has remained unchanged for centuries, becoming part of the most consolidated and followed Christmas traditions of the city. Famous in Naples, in fact, is the well-known via dei presepi (via San Gregorio Armeno) which offers a showcase of all the local crafts concerning the nativity scene.

Moreover, there are numerous city and non-city museums (such as the museum of San Martino or the Royal Palace of Caserta) in which historical pieces or entire scenes set during the birth of Jesus are exhibited.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Storia del presepe napoletano|url=https://associazionepresepialemaiori.it/storia-del-presepe-napoletano/|access-date=2021-01-26|website=associazionepresepialemaiori.it|language=it}}

=Philippines (''Belén'')=

File:Candon Church Christmas 2009.JPG in the Philippines with a parol above it]]

In the majority-Catholic Philippines, miniature, full-scale, or giant dioramas or tableaus of the nativity scene are known as Belén (from the Spanish name for Bethlehem). They were introduced by the Spanish since the 16th century. They are an iconic and ubiquitous Christmas symbol in the Philippines, on par with the parol (Christmas lanterns depicting the Star of Bethlehem) which are often incorporated into the scene as the source of illumination. Both the Belén and the parol were the traditional Christmas decorations in Filipino homes before Americans introduced the Christmas tree.{{cite news |last1=Bondoc |first1=Joshua |title=Christmas in our isles, a long enduring feast (First published 1978, TV Times magazine) |url=https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2021/12/22/2149349/christmas-our-isles-long-enduring-feast-first-published-1978-tv-times-magazine |access-date=24 December 2021 |work=PhilStar Global |date=22 December 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Ferrolino |first1=Mark Louis F. |title=A Christmas like no other |url=https://www.bworldonline.com/christmas-like-no/ |access-date=24 December 2021 |work=BusinessWorld |date=15 December 2017}}{{cite news |last1=Macairan |first1=Evelyn |title='Belen most important Christmas decor' |url=https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2010/12/19/640363/belen-most-important-christmas-decor |access-date=24 December 2021 |work=PhilStar Global |date=19 December 2010}}{{cite book |last1=Gonzalez |first1=Joaquin Jay |title=Filipino American Faith in Action: Immigration, Religion, and Civic Engagement |date=2009 |publisher=NYU Press |isbn=9780814732977 |page=18}}{{cite news |last1=Laquian |first1=Eleanor R. |title=Christmas Belen tradition brings Baby Jesus to Vancouver homes |url=https://www.canadianfilipino.net/sections/culture/christmas-belen-tradition-brings-baby-jesus-to-vancouver-homes?start=8 |access-date=24 December 2021 |work=CanadianFilipino.net}} Most churches in the Philippines also transform their altars into a Belén at Christmas. They are also found in schools (which also hold nativity plays), government buildings, commercial establishments, and in public spaces.{{cite book |last1=Dice |first1=Elizabeth A. |title=Christmas and Hanukkah |date=2009 |publisher=Infobase Publishing |isbn=9781438119717 |page=33}}{{cite book |last1=Bowler |first1=Gerry |title=The World Encyclopedia of Christmas |date=2012 |publisher=McClelland & Stewart |isbn=9781551996073}}{{cite news |last1=Llamas |first1=Cora |title=The Philippines Has the Longest Christmas Season in the World |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2021/december/philippines-longest-christmas-season-commercialism-catholic.html |access-date=24 December 2021 |work=Christianity Today |date=20 December 2021}}

The city of Tarlac holds an annual competition of giant Belén in a festival known as "Belenismo sa Tarlac".{{cite news |last1=Moaje |first1=Marita |title='Belenismo' continues tradition of bringing hope, inspiration |url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1159756 |access-date=24 December 2021 |work=Philippine News Agency |agency=Republic of the Philippines |date=15 November 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Concepcion |first1=Pocholo |title=Bringing back the 'belen' |url=https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/278893/bringing-back-belen/ |access-date=24 December 2021 |work=Lifestyle.Inq |agency=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date=15 November 2017}}{{cite news |last1=Dayrit |first1=Christine |title=Belenismo: A spectacle of hope |url=https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/sunday-life/2018/12/16/1877192/belenismo-spectacle-hope |access-date=24 December 2021 |work=PhilStar Global |date=16 December 2018}}

=United States=

File:White House Nativity Scene.jpg

Perhaps the best known nativity scene in America is the Neapolitan Baroque Crèche displayed annually in the Medieval Sculpture Hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Its backdrop is a 1763 choir screen from the Cathedral of Valladolid and a twenty-foot blue spruce decorated with a host of 18th-century angels. The nativity figures are placed at the tree's base. The crèche was the gift of Loretta Hines Howard in 1964, and the choir screen was the gift of The William Randolph Hearst Foundation in 1956.[http://www.metmuseum.org/special/Christmas2009/images.asp Special Exhibitions] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091204010906/http://www.metmuseum.org/special/Christmas2009/images.asp |date=4 December 2009 }} Metropolitan Museum of Art Both this presepio and the one displayed in Pittsburgh originated from the collection of Eugenio Catello.

A life-size nativity scene has been displayed annually at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah for several decades as part of the large outdoor Christmas displays sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Each holiday season, from Light Up Night in November through Epiphany in January, the Pittsburgh Crèche is on display in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh Creche is the world's only authorized replica of the Vatican's Christmas crèche, on display in St. Peter's Square in Rome.{{cite web|url=http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/things_to_do/p/creche.htm|title=Pittsburgh Créche – Pittsburgh Nativity Scene|author=Albrecht Powell|work=About|access-date=26 December 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226094306/http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/things_to_do/p/creche.htm|archive-date=26 December 2014}} Pittsburgh's Carnegie Museum of Art also displays a Neapolitan presepio. The presepio was handcrafted between 1700 and 1830, and re-creates the nativity within a panorama of 18th-century Italian village life. More than 100 human and angelic figures, along with animals, accessories, and architectural elements, cover 250 square feet and create a depiction of the nativity as seen through the eyes of Neapolitan artisans and collectors.{{cite web|url=http://web.cmoa.org/?page_id=319|title=Carnegie Museum of Art|access-date=26 December 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514131350/http://web.cmoa.org/?page_id=319|archive-date=14 May 2013}}

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, an annual musical holiday stage show presented at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, features a Living Nativity segment with live animals.{{cite web|title=Living nativity scene in Radio City Christmas Spectacular|website = YouTube| date=2 October 2012 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpDAMNU0wSM|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170310144031/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpDAMNU0wSM|archive-date=2017-03-10}}{{cite web|title=Arrival of live animals that appear in Radio City Christmas Spectacular's living nativity scene|website = YouTube| date=8 November 2013 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28D6VN-seR8|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170309095441/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28D6VN-seR8|archive-date=2017-03-09}}

In 2005, President of the United States of America, George W. Bush and his wife, First Lady of the United States, Laura Bush displayed an 18th-century Italian presepio. The presepio was donated to the White House in the last decades of the 20th century.Walters, Gary. [https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/ask/20051216.html "Ask the White House"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170712045840/https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/ask/20051216.html |date=12 July 2017 }}. 2005.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh annually display Neapolitan Baroque nativity scenes which both originated from the collection of Eugenio Catello.

Associations and notable collections

The Universalis Foederatio Praesepistica, World association of Friends of Cribs was founded in 1952, counting today 20 national associations dedicated to this subject. The Central office is in Austria.{{cite web|title=Universalis Foederatio Praesepistica|url=http://www.unfoeprae.org/about|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202225421/http://www.unfoeprae.org/about|archive-date=2013-12-02}}

In the United States and Canada Friends of the Creche has over 200 members, with a major conference every two years.{{cite web|title=Friends of the Creche|url=http://www.friendsofthecreche.org|access-date=23 November 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202222908/http://www.friendsofthecreche.org/|archive-date=2 December 2013}} FotC maintains a list of permanent exhibits of nativity scenes in the United States and a list of permanent exhibits of nativity scenes in other parts of the world.

The Bavarian National Museum displays a notable collection of nativity scenes from the fifteenth through nineteenth centuries.

Every year in Lanciano, Abruzzo (Italy), a nativity scene exhibition (called in Italian "Riscopriamo il presepe") takes place at Auditorium Diocleziano, usually until 6 January. An average of one hundred nativity scenes are shown, coming from every region of Italy. There are also many nativity scenes made by local kindergarten, primary, secondary and high school. The event is organised by Associazione Amici di Lancianovecchia{{cite web|title=Riscopriamo il presepe 2014|url=http://www.amicidilancianovecchia.it/moduli/DEPLIANT2013-presepe.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219001257/http://www.amicidilancianovecchia.it/moduli/DEPLIANT2013-presepe.pdf|archive-date=2014-12-19}}

Museums dedicated specifically to paper nativity scenes exist in Pečky (Czech Republic).{{Cite web|url=http://papirove-betlemy.sweb.cz/|title=Papírové betlémy|website=Papirove-betlemy.sweb.cz|access-date=8 November 2021}}

File:NativityScene ChristkindlmarketChicago 12190011a.jpg)]]

Controversies

=Europe=

Nativity scenes have on some occasions been the subject of controversy. A life-sized scene in the United Kingdom featuring waxwork celebrities provoked outrage in 2004,{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2004/12/14/celebrity-wax-nativity-scene-vandalized/|title=Celebrity wax Nativity scene vandalized|work=Chicago Tribune|date=14 December 2004 |access-date=26 December 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20141228222720/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-12-14/news/0412140327_1_nativity-scene-pop-star-madame-tussauds-museum|archive-date=28 December 2014}} and, in Spain, a city council forbade{{when|date=December 2024}} the exhibition of a traditional toilet humor character{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12059969|title=BBC News – A traditional Nativity scene, Catalan-style|work=BBC News|date=23 December 2010|access-date=26 December 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20101224162303/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12059969|archive-date=24 December 2010}} in a public nativity scene.{{cn|date=December 2024}}

File:Krippenkultur Missionsspardose.jpg

The depiction of black people in the mission money boxes under the name Nickneger in German-speaking countries, which is perceived as racist today, was later sharply criticized.Klaus Reder: Missionssammeldosen. Eine sachvolkskundliche Betrachtung der sogenannten Nickneger. In: Heidrun Alzheimer, Fred G. Rausch, Klaus Reder, Claudia Selheim (Hrsg.): Bilder – Sachen – Mentalitäten. Arbeitsfelder historischer Kulturwissenschaften. Wolfgang Brückner zum 80. Geburtstag. Schnell und Steiner, Regensburg 2010, ISBN 978-3-7954-2323-0, S. 413–415 and S. 422/423.

= United States =

Nativity scenes have been involved in controversies and lawsuits surrounding the principle of accommodationism.Sherrill, Roland A.. Religion and the Life of the Nation. University of Illinois Press. 1990. p. 165.

In 1969, the American Civil Liberties Union did not want a nativity scene at The Ellipse. After the matter was resolved by the United States Court of Appeals, the nativity scene was not displayed in 1973.Menendez, Albert J.. Christmas in the White House. The Westminster Press, 1983 pp. 51–52.

File:American Nativity Scene.jpg

File:United States Capitol Christmas tree lighting ceremony - December 5, 2007.JPG

In 1985, the United States Supreme Court ruled in ACLU v. Scarsdale, New York that nativity scenes on public lands were unconstitutional unless they also displayed non-religious symbols.Comfort, David. Just Say Noel: A History of Christmas from the Nativity to the Nineties. Simon and Schuster, 1995. {{ISBN|0-684-80057-8}}. This principle was further clarified in 1989, when Pittsburgh attorney Roslyn Litman argued, and the Supreme Court in County of Allegheny v. ACLU ruled,{{Cite web |last=Roberts |first=Sam |date=8 October 2016 |title=Roslyn Litman, Antitrust Lawyer and Civil Liberties Advocate, Dies at 88 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/09/us/roslyn-litman-antitrust-lawyer-and-civil-liberties-advocate-dies-at-88.html |website=New York Times}} that a crèche placed on the grand staircase of the Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh, PA violated the Establishment Clause, because the "principal or primary effect" of the display was to advance religion.

In 2006, a lawsuit by the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal organization in the United States, was brought against the state of Washington when it permitted a public display of a holiday tree and a menorah but not a nativity scene. Because of the lawsuit, the decision was made to permit a nativity scene to be displayed in the rotunda of the state Capitol, in Olympia, as long as other symbols of the season were included.[http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008458044_noreligion02m.html "Nonbelievers' sign at Capitol counters Nativity"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122104247/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008458044_noreligion02m.html |date=22 January 2012 }}. Seattle Times. 2 December 2008.

In 2013, Gov. Rick Perry signed into Texas law the Merry Christmas bill which would allow school districts in Texas to display nativity scenes.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) claimed in 2014 that animals in living displays lacked proper care and suffered abuse.{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15892404|title=PETA mistakenly targets nativity scene – US news – Weird news – Animal weirdness – NBC News|work=msnbc.com|date=25 November 2006 |access-date=26 December 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226102612/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/15892404/ns/us_news-weird_news/t/peta-mistakenly-targets-churchs-nativity-scene/#.U9zVnONdWbA|archive-date=26 December 2014}} In the United States, nativity scenes on public lands and in public buildings have provoked court challenges, and the prankish theft of ceramic or plastic nativity figurines from outdoor displays has become commonplace.[http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/thefts-are-common-during-the-holidays/article_003d47ef-2341-5e23-a806-9f851f6ea12c.html?mode=jqm] {{dead link|date=March 2018|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}

=Spain=

There is a regional tradition in the Catalonia region where an additional figure is added to the nativity scene: the {{lang|ca|Caganer}}. It depicts a person defecating. In 2005, the Barcelona city council provoked a public outcry by commissioning a nativity scene which did not include a {{lang|ca|Caganer}}.{{Cite news|url=https://beteve.cat/basics/pessebres-mes-polemics-sant-jaume/|title=Els pessebres més polèmics de Sant Jaume|date=26 November 2018|work=Betevé|access-date=2019-12-09|language=ca|archive-date=2019-12-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209202036/https://beteve.cat/basics/pessebres-mes-polemics-sant-jaume/|url-status=live}}

Within the realm of legend, there is speculation that it was in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, where a nativity scene was first publicly displayed in a private home in Spain.{{Cite news|url=http://www.museobelenistaestevez.es|title=Portal de los Lercaro|access-date=12 March 2025}} Likewise, the Tenerifean saint Peter of Betancur, a Franciscan and founder of the Bethlehemite Brothers in the 17th century, is credited with being one of the main precursors of nativity scene design in the American lands discovered by the Spanish. This is precisely one of the reasons why this saint is often called the "Saint Francis of Assisi of the Americas".{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/elsanfranciscode00soto|title=El San Francisco de Asís americano: Pedro de San José Bethencourt|access-date=12 March 2025}}

Gallery

File:Chapel of the First Live Nativity.jpg|The Chapel of the First Live Nativity, in Greccio Italy, is believed to be where Saint Francis of Assisi presented the first live nativity scene.

File:Vatikan, Weihnachtskrippe auf dem Petersplatz.JPG|Christmas crib on the Saint Peter's square, Vatican

File:Szopka-Wyszków-3.jpg|Living nativity at St. Wojciech Church, Wyszków, Poland, 2006

File:Vatikan, Petersdom, die Weihnachtskrippe.JPG|Christmas crib inside the Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican

File:Шопка, костел Небовзяття, Бучач, 12-01-2020.jpg|Nativity scene in Buchach, Ukraine

File:Archivo General de la Nación Argentina 1924 aprox Buenos Aires, Pesebre realizado por Fray Barceló en el Arzobispado de Buenos Aires.jpg|Nativity scene in Buenos Aires (1924)

File:StWendelKrippeMissionshaus.jpg|Nativity scene in St. Wendel

File:Kerststal.jpg|Nativity scene in the Netherlands

File:Christmas_crib_at_the_exhibition.jpg|Christmas crib

File:Weihnachtskrippe-1052655.jpg|Crib family with shepherds at the crib exhibition in Bamberg 2015

File:Nativity display of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus.jpg|Abstract nativity display in a home.

File:Jesus birth scene at the St. Xavier's Church of St. Xavier's College in Kolkata.jpg|Nativity display at the St. Xavier's Church of St. Xavier's College, Kolkata.

File:Traditional Christmas Crib Outside a Catholic Church in Goa India.jpg|Christmas crib outside a Catholic church Goa, India

File:Christmas Crib.jpg|Christmas crib and tree display in House Mumbai, India.

File:Close up of Christmas Crib, Siolim Goa December 2023.jpg|alt=Close up of Outdoor Christmas Crib in Siolim, Goa, December 2023|Close up of Outdoor Christmas Crib in Siolim, Goa, India December 2023

File:Peru Crucifix with Christmas scene c1960.jpg|Peruvian crucifix with nativity scene at its base, {{Circa|1960}}

File:Ebing-Kirche-Krippe-P1080066.jpg|Christmas crib parish Church St. James in Ebing, Germany

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20160220084924/http://www.friendsofthecreche.org/englishus-2013 A selected English bibliography – 2013] of the Friends of the Creche. Also links to bibliographies in other languages
[http://www.esauboeck.com/index/The_Mermaid_in_Mexican_Folk_Creches The Mermaid in Mexican Folk Creches] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160801190826/http://www.esauboeck.com/index/The_Mermaid_in_Mexican_Folk_Creches |date=1 August 2016 }}. An article portraying how pagan elements have become part of this Christian art form.
[http://www.unfoeprae.org/associations links to national associations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510031750/http://www.unfoeprae.org/associations |date=10 May 2023 }} Universalis Foederatio Praesepistica The International Association of Friends of the Creche
[http://www.notreprovence.fr/en_tradition_christmas-cribs-and-santons.php Discover the Christmas Cribs and Santons of Provence on Notreprovence.fr (English)]
[http://mylivingnativity.org The Living Nativity by Larry Peacock]