Detail of an elaborate Neapolitanpresepio in RomeOutdoor nativity scene of life-sized figurines inBarcelona (2009)
In the Christian tradition, anativity scene (also known as amanger scene,crib,crèche (/krɛʃ/ or/kreɪʃ/), or in Italianpresepio orpresepe, orBethlehem) is the special exhibition, particularly during theChristmas season, of art objects representing thebirth of Jesus.[1][2] While the term "nativity scene" may be used of any representation of the very common subject of theNativity 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 themanger in abarn (or cave) intended to accommodate farm animals, as described in theGospel of Luke. A donkey and anox are typically depicted in the scene, and theMagi and their camels, described in theGospel of Matthew, are also included. Many also include a representation of theStar of Bethlehem. Several cultures add other characters and objects that may or may not be Biblical.
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 some countries their inclusion on public lands or in public buildings has provoked court challenges.
Saint Francis' manger scene is said to have been enacted at Christmas 1223 in a cave near theSanctuary of Greccio in the Central Italy town ofGreccio. The very small chapel where it is said to have taken place survives. The painting over its altar, and others before 1400, byGiotto at the Assisi Lower Church, and byAntonio Vite inPistoia, depict Saint Francis kneeling and placing a small baby into a chest-like manger. Giotto adds a miniature ox and ass.
A substantial set of stone figures byArnolfo di Cambio, a leading sculptor of the day, was made forSanta Maria Maggiore in Rome around 1290. The surviving portion includes figures for theHoly Family, theThree Kings, and the ox and ass from the neck up.
The scene's popularity inspired much imitation throughoutChristian countries, and in theearly modern period sculpted cribs, often exported from Italy, were set up in many Christian churches and homes.[11] These elaborate scenes reached their artistic apogee in thePapal State, inEmilia, in theKingdom of Naples and inGenoa. In the tradition of theMoravian Church, nativity scenes have been the center of theChristmas 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."[12][13]
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."[12][13] 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 asterracotta, paper, wood, wax, andivory, were marketed, often with a backdrop setting of a stable.[1]
Different traditions of nativity scenes emerged in different countries. Hand-paintedsantons are popular inProvence. In southern Germany,Austria andTrentino-Alto Adige, the wooden figurines are handcut. Colorfulszopki are typical inPoland.
Static nativity scenes depict Jesus, Mary, Joseph, farm animals, and sometimes other characters.[15] 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 theBaptism of the Lord.[7]
The nativity scene may not accurately reflect gospel events. With no basis in the gospels, for example, the shepherds, the Magi, and theox andass may be displayed together at the manger. The art form can be traced back to eighteenth-centuryNaples, Italy. Neapolitan nativity scenes do not represent Bethlehem at the time of Jesus but the life of the Naples of 1700, during theBourbon period. Families competed with each other to produce the most elegant and elaborate scenes and so, next to theChild Jesus, to theHoly Family and the shepherds, were placed ladies and gentlemen of the nobility, representatives of thebourgeoisie 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.[16]
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 onRAI. In 2010, the old city ofMatera in Basilicata hosted the world's largest living nativity scene of the time, which was performed in the historic center,Sassi.[17]
The ox, the ass, and the infant Jesus in one of the earliest depictions of the nativity, (Ancient Roman Christian sarcophagus, 4th century)
A donkey (or ass) and anox typically appear in nativity scenes. Besides the necessity of animals for an operating manger, this is an allusion to theBook 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 nor a donkey, however.[18] The first Christian writer to mention the ox and the ass in the stable in Bethlehem isOrigen of Alexandria.[19] Another source for the tradition might be the extracanonical text, theGospel of Pseudo-Matthew of the 7th century.[20][21]
Sheep are often present in Nativity scenes, and reference the shepherds who cared for the animals nearby. Other animals sometimes present are camels, birds, and cattle.
During Christmas time, locals and visitors visit places around their towns and suburbs to view the outdoor and indoor displays. These displays feature nativity scenes with animals native to Australia, like kangaroos and koalas.[citation needed]
The Australian Nativity Scene at St. Elizabeth's,Dandenong North. Creator, artist Wilson Fernandez inset at top-right.
An expansive miniature nativity scene is on display at St. Elizabeth's Parish,Dandenong North. Celebrated for its scope and detail, it draws a large audience and has been dubbed the "Australian Nativity Scene". Its creator, artist Wilson Fernandez, has been building the traditional nativity scene at St. Elizabeth's Parish since 2003.[22]
To mark its 10th anniversary, Most ReverendDenis Hart Archbishop of Melbourne celebrated the Vigil Mass and blessed the Australian Nativity Scene on Saturday, 14 December 2013.[23]Shalom World, a 24/7, commercial-free Catholic television channel broadcast a live telecast of the Australian Nativity Scene on 24 December 2022.[24] On 2 December 2023, the Australian Nativity Scene marked its 20 year anniversary. To mark this occasion,Archbishop Peter A Comensoli blessed the Australian Nativity Scene.[25]
Bethlehem Live is an all-volunteer living nativity produced by Gateway Christian Community Church inWinnipeg, 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 theSt. Patrick's Basilica, Ottawa, Ontario.[26][27]
TheCzech Republic, and the cultures represented in its predecessors i.e.Czechoslovakia and the lands of formerBohemia, have a long tradition regardingbetlémy (literally "Bethlehems"), crèches. The tradition of home nativity scenes is often traced to the 1782 ban of church and institutional crèches by emperorJoseph II, officially responding to public disturbances and the resulting "loss of dignity" of such displays.[28][29] As this followed theEdict of Toleration proclaimed the previous year, it reduced State support of the Catholic church in this multi-confessional land.[30][31]
The issue of cost arose, and paper-cut crèches, "the crèche of the poor", became one major expression,[32] 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:
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 townJindřichův Hradec. It figures as the largest mechanical nativity scene in the world in theGuinness Book of World Records.[33]
Gingerbread nativity scenes and cribs in the church of St. Matthew in Šárka (Prague 6Dejvice) have around 200 figures and houses, the tradition dates from since 1972; every year new ones are baked and after holidays eaten.[citation needed]
TheNeapolitan nativity scene is a representation of thebirth of Jesus traditionally set inNaples in the 18th century.[34] 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 themuseum of San Martino or theRoyal Palace of Caserta) in which historical pieces or entire scenes set during the birth of Jesus are exhibited.[36]
In the majority-CatholicPhilippines, miniature, full-scale, or giantdioramas ortableaus of the nativity scene are known asBelén (from the Spanish name forBethlehem). They were introduced by the Spanish in the 16th century. They are an iconic and ubiquitous Christmas symbol in the Philippines, on par with theparol (Christmas lanterns depicting theStar of Bethlehem) which are often incorporated into the scene as the source of illumination. Both theBelén and theparol were the traditionalChristmas decorations in Filipino homes beforeAmericans introduced theChristmas tree.[37][38][39][40][41] Most churches in the Philippines also transform their altars into aBelén at Christmas. They are also found in schools (which also holdnativity plays), government buildings, commercial establishments, and in public spaces.[42][43][44]
The city ofTarlac holds an annual competition of giantBelén in a festival known as "Belenismo sa Tarlac".[45][46][47]
Perhaps the best known nativity scene in America is the Neapolitan Baroque Crèche displayed annually in the Medieval Sculpture Hall of theMetropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Its backdrop is a 1763choir screen from theCathedral 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 ofLoretta Hines Howard in 1964, and the choir screen was the gift of TheWilliam Randolph Hearst Foundation in 1956.[48] Both this presepio and the one displayed in Pittsburgh originated from the collection of Eugenio Catello.
Each holiday season, fromLight Up Night in November through Epiphany in January, the Pittsburgh Crèche is on display in downtownPittsburgh, 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.[49] Pittsburgh'sCarnegie Museum of Art also displays aNeapolitan 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.[50]
TheRadio 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.[51][52]
TheMetropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and theCarnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh annually display Neapolitan Baroque nativity scenes which both originated from the collection of Eugenio Catello.
Within the realm of legend, there is speculation that it was inSan Cristóbal de La Laguna,Tenerife, where a nativity scene was first publicly displayed in a private home in Spain.[54] Likewise, the Tenerifean saintPeter of Betancur, a Franciscan and founder of theBethlehemite 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".[55]
TheUniversalis 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.[56]
In the United States and CanadaFriends of the Creche has over 200 members, with a major conference every two years.[57] 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.[citation needed]
TheBavarian 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.[58]
Museums dedicated specifically to paper nativity scenes exist in Pečky (Czech Republic).[59]
Nativity scenes have on some occasions been the subject of controversy. A life-sized scene in the United Kingdom featuringwaxwork celebrities provoked outrage in 2004,[60] and, in Spain, a city council forbade[when?] the exhibition ofa traditional toilet humor character[61] in a public nativity scene.[citation needed]
A Nickneger figure in a nativity scene. Text translation: "If you want to send help to the heathen, let me, the poorest, nod kindly."
The tradition in German-speaking countries of depicting black people in the mission money boxes under the name "Nickneger" has been sharply criticized as racist.[62]
Nativity scenes are permitted on public lands in the United States as long as equal time is given to non-religious symbols.
In 1985, theUnited States Supreme Court ruled inACLU v. Scarsdale, New York that nativity scenes on public lands were unconstitutional unless they also displayed non-religious symbols.[65] This principle was further clarified in 1989, when Pittsburgh attorneyRoslyn Litman argued, and the Supreme Court inCounty of Allegheny v. ACLU ruled,[66] 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 theAlliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal organization in the United States, was brought against thestate of Washington when it permitted a public display of a holiday tree and amenorah but not a nativity scene. Because of the lawsuit, the decision was made to permit a nativity scene to be displayed in therotunda of the stateCapitol, inOlympia, as long as other symbols of the season were included.[67]
In 2013, Gov.Rick Perry signed into Texas law theMerry 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.[68] 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.[69]
There is a regional tradition in theCatalonia region where an additional figure is added to the nativity scene: theCaganer. It depicts a person defecating. In 2005, the Barcelona city council provoked a public outcry by commissioning a nativity scene which did not include aCaganer.[70]
^ab"Introduction to Christmas Season".General Board of Discipleship (GBOD). The United Methodist Church. 2013.Archived from the original on 6 January 2015. Retrieved5 January 2015.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.
^Berliner, R.The Origins of the Creche. Gazette des Beaux-Arts, 30 (1946), p. 251.
^Tuleja, Thaddeus F. (1999).Curious Customs: The Stories Behind More Than 300 Popular American Rituals. BBS Publishing Corporation.ISBN978-1-57866-070-4.Francis Weiser (1952) says that the first known depiction of the nativity scene, found in the catacombs of Rome, dates from AD 380.
^abMatheson, Lister M. (2012).Icons of the Middle Ages: Rulers, Writers, Rebels, and Saints. ABC-CLIO. p. 324.ISBN978-0-313-34080-2.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 celebrated 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.
^abDues, Greg.Catholic Customs and Traditions: A Popular Guide Twenty-Third Publications, 2000.
^Thomas, George F..Vitality of the Christian Tradition. Ayer Co. Publishing, 1944.
^Orsini, Joseph E. (2000).Italian Family Cooking. Macmillan.ISBN978-0-312-24225-1.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.
^Hobgood-Oster, Laura.Holy Dogs and Asses: Animals in the Christian Tradition. University of Illinois Press, 2008.ISBN0-252-03213-6.
^Origen (1996).Homilies on Luke.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.
^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.
^Sherrill, Roland A..Religion and the Life of the Nation. University of Illinois Press. 1990. p. 165.
^Menendez, Albert J..Christmas in the White House. The Westminster Press, 1983 pp. 51–52.
^Comfort, David.Just Say Noel: A History of Christmas from the Nativity to the Nineties. Simon and Schuster, 1995.ISBN0-684-80057-8.
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