The Nativity of Jesus Christ is one of the main holidays in the Christian religion; Christians around the world celebrate it. Many different traditions are associated with the celebration of the Nativity of Christ , and these include Christmas nativity scenes.
The history of the Christmas den in European countries
In 1223, St. Francis of Assisi created the first Christmas composition. So, he put people and animals in the cave, and they played scenes from Christmas there. The audience really liked this sight, and they decided that it should be repeated every year. Initially, Christmas nativity scenes gave performances only in temples, 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.
True recognition they managed to get in the sixteenth century AD. It was then that a 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.
The history of the Christmas den in Russia
Christmas cribs appeared on the territory of the Russian Empire at the end of the sixteenth century. The heyday for the Russian den is the eighteenth century. Then there was no ordinary theater in Russia as such, therefore the nativity theater was popular. It was the main entertainment at Christmas time and often replaced the theater in rich merchant houses.
But it was possible to see the den representation not only in someone’s house. More and more often, performances took place at fairs, they 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 generally banned. In the Soviet era, such performances in Russia were not carried out. Since the 1980s, a revival of folk traditions begins, and the Christmas nativity scene, whose script is known throughout the world, again begins to cause interest among ordinary people.
Nativity traditions associated with the nativity scene
Christmas nativity scene in Russia was part of the Christmas holiday. This celebration combined pagan and Christian traditions.
On Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve, porridge was cooked in houses, it was a ritual designed to bring wealth and prosperity to the family. Porridge was called kutia. It was believed that in this lesson the spirits of Fire, Water and Earth help the owners of the house. It was necessary to cook porridge on the fire, kindled by means of friction. This was considered the sacred fire of the ancestors.
Sacred fire served to kindle logs. The ritual log was called the “butyak”, with its help the fire was transferred from one hearth to another. Fire in pagan tradition was considered a deity worshiped. And for dinner, the spirits of their ancestors came to the feast, and it was believed that after dinner they needed to leave something.
An important role in this holiday was played by Kolyada. This creature does not have an exact definition - a deity or a sorcerer, an elf or a goblin. Kolyada stood in a corner of the house, wearing wreaths and jewelry.
Carols are associated with the name Kolyada. These are songs that children sang during the celebration of Christmas. A noisy company was gathering, walking around the village, singing songs, asking for food from the owners of the houses. Many carols dressed up as goats and cows. Their appearance in rural yards symbolized the wealth and offspring of livestock.
In the case when the owners gave the carols many treats, they sang beautiful songs, carols. After singing songs, the carols shared among themselves the collected treats or had a feast.
Christmas den design
A nativity scene is a wooden box divided into two floors. The upper part of the box is pasted over with blue paper, in the den it is “sky”. The lower part is covered with shiny paper, different color patterns are painted 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 dolls, and the nativity scene is the place where dolls are controlled. In order to control them, slots are made at the bottom of the den, through which the puppeteer controls the action. Dolls are different. Especially interesting figures for the den were in France. In the Middle Ages, they were usually wooden, sometimes they were made of clay. Clay dolls were painted, made clothes from cotton or chintz. They were fixed on wooden or steel rods. The creators of the nativity scene in the manufacture of dolls showed all their imagination, and the Christmas nativity scene, the craft for which was interesting for any master, is considered one of the most outstanding works in the history of world art.
Den 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 den is to tell about the whole set of events that occurred at the time of the Nativity of Christ. The Nativity scene, the script of which was created on the basis of biblical motifs , mainly covers the birth of Christ and the worship of the Magi. But at the same time, other biblical events can be used to build the script. So, it can be an escape to Egypt, the appearance of the archangel Gabriel Mary and so on. The main characters of the den, which are always present in him, are Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, as well as St. Joseph. If the nativity scene plays the worship of shepherds or sorcerers, then Jesus Christ is portrayed as the Infant who sits in the arms of Mother Mary.
The nativity scene, whose patterns are being studied by many people, also includes animals. So, in the nativity scene of many countries there is an ox and a donkey who warm the Baby 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 is a symbol of Christianity from the earliest times. In general, in terms of animals, the imagination of the creators of the theatrical action is unlimited. During the performance, camels may be present in the nativity scene, where the magi, horses, birds, elephants, representatives of the local flora and fauna arrived. It is assumed that the action of the den is in a cave, sometimes a hut is shown. And above all that is happening there is a star of Bethlehem.
The characters of the nativity scene can be the wise men who came to worship the Baby from distant lands. They bring him presents.
Making a den
Christmas nativity scene is a craft that you can make yourself. To make a den with your own hands, you will need a small box. It can be painted in different colors, can be pasted over with a multi-colored fabric. This box will symbolize the cave in which the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ were located.
The bottom of the box can be made gray or brown, its outer side can be made blue, the inner 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 a den you need to do dolls. The easiest option is to cut them out of paper or cardboard, and then colorize 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 in red and brown and glued to the bottom of the den. To make other figures, you can cut strips of colored paper, then roll them into a cone. Separately, you can draw heads on paper and stick them to the cones . 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.
Christmas den purchase
If there is no time to do a nativity scene on their own, many begin to figure out Christmas nativity scenes - where to buy. Foreign toy manufacturers have long been offering consumers in their countries a wide variety of nativity scenes. In Russia and the CIS countries this business is only developing.
The company Lego, which 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 figures of the holy family, the Magi and the shepherds, animals. Also, plastic crib sets are offered by well-known companies - manufacturers of toys Fisher Price and Playmobil. For those who love stuffed animals, Talicor offers Christmas nativity scenes. These are plush houses with an opening door, inside of which there are figures.
The smallest nativity scene lovers receive Christmas nativity scenes made of wood as a gift. Wooden nativity scenes with wooden figures are produced by the German company Selecta. Christmas nativity scenes, which she produces, are absolutely safe for the health of babies and give them many opportunities for play and creativity.
Scenarios of the Christmas den in the Middle Ages
An integral part of the Christmas den is the words for the den. In the Middle Ages, crib plays were usually composed for crib performances. A feature of these plays was that they were mostly unauthorized. The text of the cribs was usually invented by the owner of the den. At the same time, the owner of the den did not invent everything himself, but took ready-made verbal formulas and, based on them, came up with his own play.
The scenario of the crib drama looked like this. Pan and Pani, as well as Angel, came on the stage and congratulated those present on the occasion of the Great Christmas Day. The carol “New Joy Becomes” was being performed. Shepherds or wise men 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 their subsequent departure from there.
An important place in the script is the scene of the beating of infants in Bethlehem. King Herod commanded his soldiers to kill all the children in Bethlehem, and the soldiers complied with his order. Including he killed his own son. Upon learning of this, the devils from hell came for Herod and took him with them. The presentation ends with glorifications of Jesus Christ.
Depending on the country in which the nativity scene was played, the scenarios and characters could be different. In East Ukrainian nativity scenes, the protagonists were also Zaporozhets, Gypsies and Bears. Historical figures such as Alexander the Great, Por Indian also appeared. In Russian nativity scenes, the scene of the Baptism of the Lord is added.
Scenarios of the Christmas den in our time
Christmas nativity scenes are still popular today. So, in the city of Sarov in 2011, a Christmas play was staged, the author of the script and director of which is Roman Svanidze. This professional playwright created a script for the Christmas den specially for children, this script is designed for the performance to be shown on the street. Often the scripts for the Christmas den are created by students of Sunday schools in different cities of Russia.
The traditions of the den in our country are still not very developed, which is explained by the fact that Christmas nativity scenes have been banned for a long time. But gradually, traditions revive, new characters appear in the Christmas action. So, in Moscow, a Christmas nativity scene was played, in which the characters of the nativity scene were the hobbits - the heroes of John the Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The hobbits took part in the glorification of the Nativity of Jesus Christ.
Christmas nativity scene remains popular in our time, even despite the fact that life has changed in many ways and modern technologies have begun to determine the course of life.
The best Christmas nativity scenes of the world
Christmas nativity scenes had an indelible impact on the culture and traditions of the peoples of the world. In recent years, large-scale sales of Christmas nativity scenes have appeared in various countries around the world.
In Spain, in the province of Extremadura, in the Badajoz region, one of the largest Christmas nativity scenes in Europe was located in an underground parking lot. This nativity scene occupied an area of 270 square meters, the figures that are on its area, all growth of about 20 centimeters.
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. Trade markets and squares, temples, streets - all this really depicts medieval Europe. The figures that participated in the scenes were originally white, and the workers painted them with paints. In order to create such a work of art, it took them a month. The purpose of this den is to entertain tourists who appear in the city and revitalize trade.
In the Principality of Monaco in December 2014, the “Christmas Journey” was opened, the purpose of which was to familiarize the guests of the country and residents with the Christmas customs of different countries of the world. Here you could see a variety of nativity scenes. Christmas nativity scenes were placed on the square in front of the State Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Monaco. The leading role there took the nativity scene of France and Germany. On Palace Square in Monaco, shows of nativity scenes of America and South Africa are held. A replica of Bethlehem stands in front of the cathedral. The exhibition of nativity scenes begins 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 25th, then in the Orthodox tradition its celebration falls on January 7th. Therefore, on January 7, Christmas is celebrated in the Eastern Slavic countries.
On this day in Kiev, the celebration of Christmas in the old traditions. The Pirogovo National Museum of Architecture and Life arranges a particularly beautiful holiday. First, guests listen to the liturgy, then festivities and entertainments begin. Guests of the holiday have the opportunity to try dishes of national Ukrainian cuisine. And on that day, representations of the den occur. It is in Pirogovo that there is an opportunity to recreate Ukrainian folk traditions, because in this museum the situation of the Ukrainian village in the eighteenth to 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. Christmas nativity scene, a photo of which you can see on the calendar of this museum, is one of the main attractions of this area.
Festivities take place on this day in Kiev parks. People sledding, sculpting snowmen, dancing and singing songs. The mummers walk in 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 sight in the Peter and Paul Fortress. Ice figures are placed there in the Naryshkinsky bastion. Masters will create ice sculptures right in front of visitors, at night the sculptures will have lights, and sculptures can stand there until March 2015.