Christmas Nativity Scenes: Templates, Figures, Scenarios

The Nativity of Jesus Christ is one of the main holidays in the Christian religion, it is celebrated by Christians around the world. With the celebration of the Nativity of Christ , many different traditions are associated, and among them are Christmas Nativity Scenes.

The history of the Christmas nativity scene in European countries

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

True recognition they managed to get in the sixteenth century AD. It was then in Europe that the puppet theater-den turned up. Such a theater was a small box made of wood or cardboard. It consisted of two floors, the top floor of the box was usually intended for religious performances dedicated to the birth of Christ, and on the ground floor were played household Christmas scenes.

The history of the Christmas nativity scene in Russia

On the territory of the Russian Empire Christmas Nativity scenes appeared at the end of the sixteenth century. The flowering for the Russian nativity scene is the eighteenth century. Then there was no ordinary theater in Russia as such, so the theater-den was popular. He was the main entertainment for Christmas trees and often replaced theater in rich merchant houses.

But to see the representation of the den could not be only in someone's house. Increasingly, performances were held at fairs, they could buy a ticket. But with the development of the theater in Russia, Christmas Nativity began to lose its popularity. After the October Revolution of 1917, they were generally banned. In the Soviet era, such ideas were not conducted on the territory of Russia. Since the 1980s, the revival of folk traditions has begun, and the Nativity Scene, whose script is known throughout the world, is beginning to arouse the interest of ordinary people.

Christmas traditions associated with the den

Christmas Nativity in Russia was part of the Christmas Day. Pagan and Christian traditions united in this celebration.

On Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve, houses were cooking porridge, it was a ritual, designed to bring wealth and prosperity to the family. Kasha called kutya. It was believed that in this occupation the owners of the house are helped by the spirits of Fire, Water and Earth. The porridge had to be cooked on fire, fired with friction. This was considered the sacred fire of the ancestors.

The sacred fire served to kindle a log. The ritual log was called "bozhdyak", with its help the fire was transferred from one hearth to another. Fire in the pagan tradition was considered a deity worshiped. And for dinner, the spirits of their ancestors came to the festival, 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 sorcerer, an elf or a devil. Kolyada stood in the corner of the house, wreaths and ornaments were put on him.

Carols are associated with the name of Kolyada. These are the songs that the children sang during the celebration of Christmas. A noisy company was gathered, walked around the village, sang songs, asked for a treat from the owners of the houses. Many caroling people dressed as goats and cows. Their appearance in rural yards symbolized the wealth and litter of cattle.

In the event that the owners gave a lot of treats to the carols, they were sung beautiful songs, carols. After singing songs, the carols were divided among themselves the collected food or arranged a feast.

Decoration of a Christmas nativity scene

A den is a wooden box divided into two floors. The top part of the box is covered with blue paper, in the den it is "the sky". The lower part is glued with shiny paper, and various colored 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 event.

The main actors here are dolls, and the den is the place where the dolls are managed. In order to control them, slots are made at the bottom of the den, and through them the puppeteer manages the action. Dolls are different. Particularly interesting figures for the nativity scene were in France. In the Middle Ages, they were usually wooden, sometimes they were made of clay. Clay dolls painted, made them clothes made of cotton or chintz. They were fixed on wooden or steel rods. The creators of the dens at the making of the dolls showed all their imagination, and a Christmas dessert, a hobby for which was interesting for any master, is considered one of the most outstanding works in the history of world art.

The characters of the den

It is already clear that the den 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 a whole set of events that occurred at the time of the Nativity of Christ. Christmas Nativity Scene, whose script was created on the basis of biblical motifs , highlights the birth of Christ and the worship of the Magi. However, other biblical events can be used to construct the script. So, it can be a flight to Egypt, the appearance of the archangel Gabriel Maria and so on. The main characters of the nativity scene, which are always present in it, are Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and also St. Joseph. If the nativity plays the worship of the shepherds or the wise men, then Jesus Christ is portrayed in the form of a baby who sits at the Mother of Mary in his arms.

In the Christmas Nativity Scene, the templates of which are studied by many people, also include animals. So, in the denotes of many countries there is a wolf and a donkey who warm the Infant Jesus with their warm breath. Shepherds who come to worship the Child often carry animals. Most often they carry lambs. The lamb is a symbol of Christianity from the earliest days. In general, in terms of animals, the imagination of the creators of the theatrical action is unlimited. During the performance, camels can be present in the den, where the Magi, horses, birds, elephants, representatives of local flora and fauna arrived. It is assumed that the action of the den occurs in the cave, sometimes the hut is shown. And over everything happening there is the Star of Bethlehem.

The characters of the nativity scene can also be the Magi who came to worship the Infant from distant lands. They bring gifts to Him.

Making a den

A Christmas nativity scene is a work that you can make yourself with your own hands. To make a nativity yourself, you will need a small box. It can be colored in different colors, you can cover with a multi-colored cloth. This box will symbolize the cave in which were the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ.

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.

Any person can create a Christmas datapet, the main thing is to have patience and try. After making a 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 a nursery with a baby can be made from a box of matches. This box is painted in red and brown colors and is 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 on paper heads and glue them to the cones . Christmas nativity scene (with your own hands), the photo of which you will make with pleasure, will bring joy to you and your children.

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

Buying a christmas nativity scene

If there is no time to do the nativity yourself, then many begin to figure out Christmas nativity scenes - where to buy. Foreign toy manufacturers have long been offering consumers in their countries a variety of options for denots. In Russia and in the CIS countries, this business is just developing.

The company Lego, which specializes in creating a variety of toys for children, offers consumers to buy a toy set consisting of their plastic house and plastic figurines. These are figures of the holy family, the Magi and shepherds, animals. Also plastic knobs are offered by well-known companies - toy manufacturers Fisher Price and Playmobil. For those who love soft toys, Talicor offers christmas dens. This plush houses with an opening door, inside which are figures.

The smallest lovers of the nativity scenes receive a Christmas gift made of wood. Wooden denotes with wooden figures are produced by the German company Selecta. Nativity Christmas revels that she releases are absolutely safe for kids' health and give them many opportunities for play and creativity.

Scenarios of the Nativity Scene in the Middle Ages

An integral part of the Christmas nativity are words for the nativity scene. In the Middle Ages for vertepnymi performances are usually made up of vertepnye plays. The peculiarity of these plays was that they were largely non-autore. The text of the play 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, on their basis, came up with his play.

The script of the dramatic drama looked like this. On the stage came Pan and Pani, as well as Angel, who congratulated those present on the advent of the Great Christmas Day. The Christmas carol became "Nova Joy became." Shepherds or sorcerers came and brought their gifts to the Child. 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 scenario is the scene of the beating of babies in Bethlehem. King Herod ordered his soldiers to kill all the children in Bethlehem, and the soldiers carried out his order. Including, he also killed his own son. Upon learning of this, devils from hell came to fetch Herod and took him with them. The presentation with glorifications of Jesus Christ ends.

Depending on the country in which the den was played, the scenarios and actors could be different. In the eastern Ukrainian dens, Zaporozhets, Gypsies and Medved were also the actors. Figured and historical characters, such as Alexander of Macedon, Port of India. In Russian nativity scene is added the stage of Epiphany.

Scenarios of the Christmas nativity in our time

Nativity scenes are still popular today. So, in the city of Sarov in 2011 was put a Christmas play, the author of the script and directed by Roman Svanidze. This professional playwright created a script for a Christmas nativity specially for children, this scenario is designed to make the play appear on the street. Often scenarios for the Christmas nativity scene are created by students of Sunday schools in different cities of Russia.

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

The Christmas nativity scene in our time remains popular, even though life has changed in many ways and the flow of life has been determined by modern technologies.

The best Christmas nativity scene in the world

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

In Spain, in the province of Extremadura, in the Badajoz region, one of the biggest Christmas nativity scenes in Europe was placed in the underground parking lot. This den took up an area of 270 square meters, the figures that are on its square, all the 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, very similar to the real, valleys, cities. The model of a medieval city is depicted very realistically. Trading markets and squares, temples, streets - all this really portrays medieval Europe. The figures that participate in the scenes were originally white, and the workers painted them with colors. In order to create such a work of art, it took them a month. The purpose of creating this den is to entertain tourists who appear in the city and revive the trade.

In the Principality of Monaco in December 2014, the "Christmas Journey" was opened, the purpose of which was to acquaint the guests of the country and residents with the Christmas customs of different countries of the world. Here you can see a variety of denominations. Christmas Nativity Scenes were placed on the square in front of the State Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Monaco. The leading role was played by the denials of France and Germany. At the Palace Square in Monaco, there are demonstrations of America and South Africa. And the exact copy of Bethlehem is in front of the cathedral. The exhibition of denominations begins in December and ends on January 11.

Given that Christmas in different countries of the world is held at different times, then 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 East Slavic countries.

On this day, Kiev celebrates Christmas in the old traditions. A particularly beautiful holiday is arranged by the People's Museum of Architecture and Life "Pirogovo". First the guests listen to the liturgy, then people's festivities and entertainments begin. Guests of the holiday have an opportunity to taste dishes of national Ukrainian cuisine. And on this day there are presentations of the den. It is in Pirogovo that there is an opportunity to recreate folk Ukrainian traditions, because in this museum the situation in the Ukrainian village in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when the Christmas nativity scene was the main entertainment for people, is most accurately shown. Therefore, many tourists come here not only from Ukraine, but also from other countries of the world. Christmas nativity scene, the photo of which you can see on the calendar of this museum, is one of the main attractions of this area.

People's festivities are taking place on this day and in the Kiev parks. People ride on sledges, mold snowmen, lead round dances and sing songs. Walking around the streets are mummers, sing songs, show scenes from the Bible.

In St. Petersburg in January, you can see the figures of Christmas nativity scenes made of ice. Look at this unique sight in the Peter and Paul Fortress. The ice figures are located there in the Naryshkinsky bastion. Masters will create sculptures of ice right in front of visitors, at night the sculptures will be illuminated, and sculptures can stand there until March 2015.