Miniature moulds
Christmas cribs highlight the legendary tale of
Jesus' birth:
Ruwini JAYAWARDANA
It all started as a token of celebration. On 1220 St Francis of
Assissi visited Bethlehem and was mesmerized by how well the citizens
celebrated the Christmas spirit. Leaving the little village behind a
thought struck him. He hastened to make a request from the Pope to allow
him to recreate the imagery he had seen in his own Italian village.
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A traditional Christmas crib |
The manger was made in a cave and a stone image of the baby Jesus was
placed in the middle amid the human figures of Mary, Joseph, the
shepherd, angel and three wise men in the hay. He also gathered real
animals for the manger and when people came to see it at Mass they were
so moved by the life-like scene because it was possible for them to
imagine that they were actually there to witness the birth of Jesus.
That is how the first Christmas crib took shape and it its popularity
spread throughout the years allowing many more citizens to make their
own crib at home. Wooden nativity scenes gained popularity in churches
and homes across Europe.
It is said that an authentic Christmas crib is the perfect
representation of a village because everyone had his or her role to
play. This even includes pets and many still use live goats and sheep as
a part of their Christmas crib. An age old tradition in England involved
baking a mince pie in the shape of a manger to hold the Christ child
until dinnertime when the pie was eaten. The practice died away with the
Puritans banning Christmas celebrations in the 17th Century.
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Miniature figures from the legendary tale |
The Moravian Germans brought the Christmas crib to the United Stated.
They called it Putz. The oldest known picture is a nativity scene dating
from about 380 that was a wall decoration in a Christian family's burial
chamber, discovered in the Roman catacombs of St. Sebastian in 1877.
Legend has it that on Christmas Eve animals possess the ability to
speak. It is believed that this gift was bestowed upon them by baby
Jesus as a token of appreciation for lending their home for shelter and
warming him with their breath on that cold night.
Though many homes in Sri Lanka do not have cribs there are a few
which are displayed at churches and Christian institutions. In such
instances young and old cannot help but be drawn to the serenity and
beauty which surrounds the place, lit up and comprising doll-like
figures out of the Christmas story. These miniature scenes which is
often the highlighting factor of the Christmassy atmosphere in the
dwelling, remind us what Christmas is all about - the celebration of the
birth of Jesus. |
