Christmas plays are among the many popular traditions that are associated with Christmas. For example, in Britain, it is traditional for primary school children to put on a Christmas play at Christmas.
What is a Bethlehem?
The word ‘nativity’ is derived from the Latin word ‘natal’ which means birth.
In essence, a Nativity scene is one that recreates the scene of the birth of Jesus Christ in the stable. The actors of it narrate and represent the details associated with the birth of Jesus, such as the visit of the shepherds and the Magi. Children play the main roles of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and the Three Wise Men.
Saint Francis of Assisi and the First Nativity
Saint Francis of Assisi is widely credited with creating the first Nativity play in Italy around 1223. What prompted Saint Francis to come up with the idea of bringing the entire Nativity scene to life was harsh reality. Widespread illiteracy prevented people from reading the Bible for themselves. So even though they were ‘Christians’, they themselves could not read the Christmas story in the Bible. Another obstacle was the fact that Latin was the predominant language used for worship services in the churches of those days. A language they did not understand.
It was to address this loophole that San Francisco came up with a novel and heretofore untried idea. It was not enough to tell the story of the first Christmas to people. He wanted to show them what the actual night of Jesus’ birth must have been like. To do this, he set up a nativity scene complete with live animals, a manger, and some hay. He looked to the local villagers to play the key roles of Mary and Joseph and the shepherds. Needless to add, the world’s first Christmas play was a resounding success.
In the early days, it was common to use real animals, including an ox and a donkey and other farm animals (except pigs) in Christmas plays. These days, it is more common for children to dress up in animal costumes or have animal accessories.
Cribs and Bethlehem
Gradually, as the popularity of Christmas plays grew outside of Italy as well, nativity scenes entered the scene. The mangers were just another representation of the manger, with paper cutouts or wooden figures of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and wise men, and farm animals.
In many European countries such as Italy and Malta, the nativity scene forms the central focus of all Christmas decorations. Nativity scenes go back a long way in the city of Naples in Italy. Here, nativity scenes have been used to decorate homes and churches since the 1020s, long before nativity plays appeared on the scene.
The largest nativity scene in the world
Naples, in Italy, is also home to the largest nativity scene in the world. It is located in the ‘Museo Nazionale di S. Martino’ and features some 162 people, 80 animals, angels and around 450 other smaller objects.
Malta and Christmas Nativity scenes
Nativity scenes are inherent to Christmas celebrations in Malta. Although initially imported from Italy, the first true Maltese nativity scene is believed to have been made in Malta sometime in 1617. It was prominently displayed in the Church of the Dominican Friars in Rabat. One of the oldest surviving nativity scenes in Malta is the one that can be seen at St. Peter’s Monastery in Mdina and dates back to 1670. It is highly prized and is cared for by the Benedictine nuns who reside in that monastery.
