Christmas nativity scenes: patterns, figurines, scenarios

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The Nativity of Jesus Christ is one of the main holidays in the Christian religion, it is celebrated by Christians all over the world. Many different traditions are associated with the celebration of the Nativity of Christ, and these include Christmas nativity scenes.

The history of the nativity scene in European countries

In 1223, Saint Francis of Assisi created the first Christmas composition. So, he placed people and animals in a cave, and they acted out scenes from the Nativity there. The audience liked this spectacle very much, and they decided that it should be repeated every year. Initially, Christmas nativity scenes were performed only in churches, but over time they appeared in city squares and markets. The best sculptors and artists worked on the creation and design of the den and its characters, and the scripts for the den were created by poets and musicians.

They managed to get true recognition in the sixteenth century AD. It was then that the puppet theater-nativity scene developed in Europe. Such a theater was a small box made of wood or cardboard. It consisted of two floors, the upper floor of the box was usually intended for religious performances dedicated to the birth of Christ, and everyday Christmas scenes were played on the lower floor.

History of the Nativity scene in Russia

On the territory of the Russian Empire, Christmas nativity scenes appeared at the end of the sixteenth century. The heyday for the Russian nativity scene is the eighteenth century. At that time, there was no ordinary theater in Russia as such, so the crib theater was popular. It was the main entertainment at Christmas time and often replaced the theater in we althy merchant houses.

But seeing the performance of the nativity scene was not only possible in someone's house. Increasingly, performances were held at fairs, where you could buy a ticket. But with the development of the theater in Russia, Christmas nativity scenes began to lose their popularity. After the October Revolution of 1917, they were banned altogether. In the Soviet era, such performances were not held on the territory of Russia. Since the 1980s, the revival of folk traditions has begun, and the Christmas nativity scene, the scenario of which is known to the whole world, again begins to arouse interest among ordinary people.

Christmas Nativity Traditions

Christmas nativity scene in Russia was part of the Christmas holiday. This celebration united pagan and Christiantradition.

On Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve, porridge was cooked in the houses, it was a ritual designed to bring we alth and prosperity to the family. Kasha was called kutya. It was believed that the spirits of Fire, Water and Earth help the owners of the house in this occupation. The porridge had to be boiled over a fire ignited by friction. It was considered the sacred fire of the ancestors.

The sacred fire served to kindle the log. The ritual log was called “bodnyak”, with its help the fire was transferred from one hearth to another. Fire in pagan tradition was considered a deity that was worshipped. And the spirits of the ancestors came to dinner on the holiday, and it was believed that after dinner they needed to leave something.

Kolyada played an important role in this holiday. This creature does not have an exact definition - a deity or a sorcerer, an elf or a goblin. Kolyada stood in the corner of the house, wreaths and decorations were put on him.

Carols are associated with the name of Kolyada. These are the songs that children sang during the celebration of Christmas. A noisy company gathered, walked around the village, sang songs, asked for refreshments from the owners of houses. Many carolers dressed up as goats and cows. Their appearance in rural yards symbolized we alth and livestock.

In the case when the owners gave carolers a lot of treats, they sang beautiful songs, carols. After singing songs, the carolers shared the prepared treats among themselves or had a feast.

Christmas Nativity Decor

Nativity scene is a wooden box divided into two floors. The upper part of the box is pasted over with blue paper, in the nativity scene it is “sky”. The lower part is pasted over with shiny paper, different color patterns are drawn on it. In the middle of the lower part is the throne of King Herod, the main negative character of the Christmas action.

The main characters here are puppets, and the nativity scene is where the puppets are controlled. In order to control them, cuts are made at the bottom of the den, through which the puppeteer controls the action. Dolls are different. Particularly interesting figurines for the nativity scene were in France. In the Middle Ages, they were usually made of wood, sometimes they were made of clay. Clay dolls were painted, clothes were made from cotton or chintz. They were fixed on wooden or steel rods. The creators of nativity scenes showed all their imagination when making dolls, and the Christmas nativity scene, the craft for which was interesting for any craftsman, is considered one of the most outstanding works in the history of world art.

Nativity scene characters

It is already clear that the nativity scene is a cultural phenomenon that has influenced the history of many countries of the world and their culture. The task of the nativity scene is to tell about the whole set of events that occurred at the time of the Nativity of Christ. The nativity scene, which was scripted based on biblical motifs, mainly highlights the birth of Christ and the adoration of the Magi. But at the same time, other biblical events can be used to build a scenario. So, it can be a flight to Egypt, the appearance of the archangel Gabriel to Mary, and so on. Mainthe characters of the nativity scene that are always present in it are Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and also St. Joseph. If the nativity scene plays the worship of shepherds or wise men, then Jesus Christ is depicted as a Baby sitting in Mother Mary's arms.

The nativity scene, whose patterns are studied by many people, also includes animals. So, in the dens of many countries there are an ox and a donkey, which warm the Infant Jesus with their warm breath. Shepherds who come to worship the Infant often carry animals in their arms. Most often they carry lambs. The lamb has been a symbol of Christianity since the earliest times. In general, in terms of animals, the imagination of the creators of theatrical action is unlimited. During the performance, camels may be present in the den, on which the magi, horses, birds, elephants, representatives of the local flora and fauna arrived. It is assumed that the action of the nativity scene takes place in a cave, sometimes a hut is shown. And over everything that happens there is the Star of Bethlehem.

The characters of the nativity scene can also be magicians who came to bow to the Child from distant lands. They bring gifts to Him.

Making a Nativity Scene

Christmas nativity scene - a craft that you can make yourself with your own hands. To make a nativity scene with your own hands, you will need a small box. It can be painted in different colors, it can be pasted over with a multi-colored fabric. This box will symbolize the cave where the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ were.

The bottom of the box can be made gray or brown, the outside can be made blue, the inside walls are usually made white or red.

Anyone can make a Christmas nativity scene with their own hands, the main thing is to have patience and try. After making the den, you need to start making dolls. The easiest option is to cut them out of paper or cardboard, and then color them. If you want the figures to be voluminous, then the nursery with the Baby can be made from a box of matches. This box is painted red and brown and glued to the bottom of the nativity scene. For other figures, you can cut strips of colored paper, then roll them into a cone. Separately, you can draw heads on paper and glue them to the cones. A Christmas nativity scene (with your own hands), the photo of which you will take with pleasure, will bring joy to you and your children.

There is a wide variety of options for such nativity scenes.

Buying a nativity scene

If there is no time to make a nativity scene on your own, then many begin to find out, Christmas nativity scenes - where to buy. Foreign toy manufacturers have long been offering consumers in their countries a variety of nativity scenes. This business is only developing in Russia and CIS countries.

Lego, a company that specializes in creating a variety of toys for children, offers consumers to buy a toy set consisting of a plastic house and plastic figures. These are figurines of the holy family, wise men and shepherds, animals. Alsoplastic crib sets are offered by well-known toy manufacturers Fisher Price and Playmobil. For those who love soft toys, Talicor offers Christmas nativity scenes. These are plush houses with an opening door, inside of which there are figures.

The smallest lovers of nativity scenes receive Christmas nativity scenes made of wood as a gift. Wooden nativity scenes with wooden figurines are produced by the German company Selecta. The Christmas nativity scenes that she produces are absolutely safe for the he alth of babies and give them many opportunities for play and creativity.

Nativity scenarios in the Middle Ages

An integral part of the Christmas den are the words for the den. In the Middle Ages, nativity plays were usually composed for nativity scenes. The peculiarity of these plays was that they were mostly authorless. The text of the nativity play was usually invented by the owner of the nativity scene. At the same time, the owner of the nativity scene did not invent everything himself, but took ready-made verbal formulas and, based on them, came up with his own play.

The crib drama script looked like this. Pan and Pani, as well as an Angel, appeared on the stage and congratulated those present on the advent of the Great Christmas holiday. The carol "New Joy Has Become" was sung. Shepherds or magicians came and brought their gifts to the Infant. Sometimes it was told about the expulsion of Adam and Eve, about their life in paradise and the subsequent departure from there.

An important place in the script is the scene of the massacre of the babies in Bethlehem. King Herod ordered his soldiers to kill all the children in Bethlehem,and the soldiers carried out his order. He also killed his own son. Upon learning of this, the devils from hell came for Herod and took him with them. The performance ends with glorifications of Jesus Christ.

Depending on the country in which the nativity scene was played, scenarios and characters could differ. In the Eastern Ukrainian nativity scenes, Zaporozhets, Gypsy and Medved were also actors. There were also historical characters, such as Alexander the Great, Por Indian. The scene of the Baptism of the Lord is added to Russian nativity scenes.

Nativity scenes in our time

Christmas nativity scenes remain popular in our time. So, in the city of Sarov in 2011, a Christmas performance was staged, written and directed by Roman Svanidze. This professional playwright has created a nativity scene specifically for children, this script is designed for the performance to be shown on the street. Often scripts for a Christmas nativity scene are created by Sunday school students from different cities of Russia.

The traditions of the nativity scene in our country are not yet very developed, which is explained by the fact that Christmas nativity scenes have long been banned in our country. But gradually the traditions are being revived, new characters appear in the Christmas action. So, in Moscow, a Christmas nativity scene was played, in which hobbits, the heroes of John Tolkien's work "The Lord of the Rings", were present as characters in the nativity scene. Hobbits took part in the glorification of the Nativity of Jesus Christ.

Christmasthe nativity scene remains popular in our time, even though life has changed in many ways and modern technologies have begun to determine the course of life.

The best nativity scenes in the world

Christmas nativity scenes have had an indelible impact on the culture and traditions of the peoples of the world. In recent years, large-scale implementations of Christmas nativity scenes have increasingly appeared in various countries of the world.

In Spain, in the province of Extremadura, in the Badajoz region, one of the largest Christmas cribs in Europe was placed in an underground parking lot. This nativity scene occupies an area of 270 square meters, the figures that are on its area are all about 20 centimeters tall.

The nativity scene is made as close to reality as possible. So, this is a whole landscape on which there are rivers that are very similar to real ones, valleys, cities. The model of the medieval city is depicted very realistically. Markets and squares, temples, streets - all this really depicts medieval Europe. The figures that participate in the scenes were originally white, and the workers painted them with paints. It took them a month to create such a work of art. The purpose of creating this nativity scene is to entertain tourists who appear in the city and revive trade.

In the Principality of Monaco, in December 2014, a “Christmas Journey” was opened, the purpose of which was to familiarize guests and residents of the country with Christmas customs from around the world. Here you could see a variety of nativity scenes. Nativity scenes were placed on the square in front of the State Ministry of Foreignaffairs of Monaco. The leading role there was taken by the dens of France and Germany. Nativity scenes from America and South Africa are shown on the Palace Square in Monaco. And an exact copy of Bethlehem stands in front of the cathedral. Nativity scene exhibition starts in December and ends on January 11.

Given that Christmas in different countries of the world takes place at different times, this holiday is celebrated on different dates. If in Catholic countries Christmas is celebrated on December 25, then in the Orthodox tradition, its celebration falls on January 7. Therefore, on January 7, Christmas is celebrated in the Eastern Slavic countries.

On this day in Kyiv, Christmas is celebrated in the old traditions. A particularly beautiful holiday is arranged by the Pirogovo National Museum of Architecture and Life. First, the guests listen to the liturgy, then folk festivals and entertainment begin. Guests of the holiday have the opportunity to try dishes of national Ukrainian cuisine. And on this day, den performances take place. It is in Pirogovo that there is an opportunity to recreate folk Ukrainian traditions, because in this museum the situation of the Ukrainian village in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries is shown as accurately as possible, when the Christmas nativity scene was the main entertainment for people. Therefore, many tourists come here not only from Ukraine, but also from other countries of the world. The nativity scene, whose photo you can see on the calendar of this museum, is one of the main attractions of this area.

People's festivities take place on this day in Kyiv parks. People sledding, making snowmen,dance and sing songs. Mummers walk the streets, sing songs, show scenes from the Bible.

In St. Petersburg in January you can see figures of Christmas nativity scenes made of ice. You can look at this unique spectacle in the Peter and Paul Fortress. Ice figures are placed there in the Naryshkinsky bastion. Craftsmen will create ice sculptures right in front of visitors, at night the sculptures will be illuminated, and the sculptures can stand there until March 2015.