Font Resize
White-robed angels fill the canvas of artist Brian Kershisnik's massive "Nativity," each heavenly being vying for a glimpse of the baby.
These are not the artistic angels of antiquity, who hung out in the fields with shepherds, wearing tunics like Roman messenger gods, or medieval angels, who lingered over the stable with expressions of doubt and disapproval at this upstart son of God. They do not resemble the hallelujah angels, who are there only to sing and praise.
But, in their way, Kershisnik's folksy figures are just as appropriate and worshipful as any Nativity in history.
That's because few other stories are as elastic and open to diverse depictions as the tale of the babe in the manger. It is, after
By how it is crafted, a Nativity scene can reveal an artist's theology, culture and values, yet transcend dogma or ritual.
Last week, more than 100 such Nativities were on display at the Radisson Hotel in Salt Lake City during the annual meeting of the Friends of the Crèche, an international organization with more than 400 members.
Sets were made of stained glass, blown glass and cross stitch, beads and rocks, spoons and matchsticks, Kenyan banana leaves, tin cans, orange peels, even rolled-up newspapers.
One convention room, called "Bethlehem Village," featured the work of Italy's House of Fontanini and showcased 5.5-inch figures of Roman soldiers, children and shopkeepers amid numerous buildings, rocks, fences and gates.
Another was
| Photo Gallery
|
Still another displayed contest entries from Utah children in several Catholic and Mormon congregations. Katie Mullin from Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper took first place with her pencil sketch of Madonna and Child.
"The purpose of the society is to further the crèche tradition," said Midway resident Holly Zenger, who has organized several Utah Nativity exhibits as well as last week's Salt Lake City convention, "and share our adoration of the Savior."
A tradition is born
In 1223, so the story goes, Francis of Assisi asked a farmer friend to bring an ox, a donkey, a manger and some straw to a nearby cave. There, on Christmas Eve, he and the people of Greccio, Italy, met and acted out the story of Jesus' birth by candlelight.
Nativity scenes gained popularity in the 17th century, promoted by the Capuchin, Jesuit and Franciscan orders, according to the Rev. Johann G. Roten, director of research for the Marian Library at Ohio's University of Dayton, which has more than 2,000 creches. These missionary orders then took the nativities to churches in every society they served.
By the 18th century, three centers of crèche culture had emerged -- in Naples, Italy; Provence, France; southern Germany and Austria -- and the Nativity sets moved into homes as well.
The Italian crèches placed the holy family in an old temple or castle, "usually represented as a ruin, with broken pillars or archways," Roten said in a phone interview. "It was a historical statement, that the old pagan culture had been destroyed and a new history had begun."
The French generally placed the holy family within an entire village, usually clustered on the top of a hill with narrow streets and houses of bricks and mortar, he said. "Butchers and bakers and millers and the mayor. The whole community is involved in the Christmas event."
Roten was the convention's keynote speaker last week. He traced the evolution of some of the crèche's common elements and their symbolic meanings. (The word, crèche, is French for crib, or manger.)
The manger, for example, could be seen as a simple food trough, but it could suggest a tomb or an altar on which Jesus was sacrificed.
Shepherds of varying ages portrayed the seasons of life - --- the oldest were closest to the manger, seen as wise and pious; the middle-aged, a little farther away, often carried a sheep on his shoulder, suggesting a time of work; and the youngest often carry a flute and are at a distance from the manger, not really aware of what was happening.
The Magi, or wise men, sometimes wore a Zoroastrian headdress to symbolize reason and light. Others were more like courtesans, implying the kingship of Jesus.
And the star suggested either guidance and orientation, brightness like the sun, or the divine presence that explodes above the child.
In more recent times, some of these symbols proffered a political statement.
At the convention, one scene from the highlands of Chiapas had a five-pointed star, which symbolized, organizers wrote, "the solidarity of all oppressed people of the five continents."
Protestants, Mormons jump in
Catholics always have had visible symbols of their faith, but for a long while Protestants were not too open to three-dimensional reproductions of Nativity figures because "the Old Testament said you should not have any carved image," Roten said. "That was considered idolatry."
Instead, many of these churches staged Christmas pageants or live Nativity scenes inside or in front of the sanctuary.
In recent decades, though, Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist and especially Mormons have enthusiastically embraced crèche collecting.
Every year, the LDS Museum of Church History and Art in Salt Lake City exhibits several Nativity scenes, while Mormon congregations sponsor their own multifaceted displays, sometimes in conjunction with other churches.
This fondness for crèches may seem odd for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a faith that has not adopted the liturgical calendar, staged Christmas pageants or promoted Advent calendars.
But it makes perfect sense to LDS collectors such as Utahn Debbi Beckstead, who has acquired more than 100 crèches the past 25 years.
A crèche is a shared symbol of Christianity and Mormonism's link to it, she said, something that often is challenged by other believers. It is also a chance to celebrate the LDS Church's growing internationalism.
Beckstead began with a ceramic set that a friend brought her from Mexico. It didn't look anything like the traditional scene she knew from childhood. The figures were more abstract than representational.
Yet that little Nativity was "the beginning of my journey," Beckstead said at the convention. "I was able to recognize in all Christian faiths and all cultures their perspective on Christ's birth."
One of her favorites now is a tiny scene from Amman, Jordan, with a manger hollowed out of a piece of wood. It seems especially valuable coming from a non-Christian country.
And Beckstead treasures one that a teenage neighbor, Aubrey Christensen, made for her out of toothpicks, embroidery thread, Popsicle sticks and papier-måché.
"It represents true love," Beckstead said.
Mary » Often shown as a blond European, Mary never really ages -- she is seen as a lonely young adult and fully dressed except when she is nursing. Christians of the medieval period felt a great devotion to the nursing Madonna. In early paintings, Mary and child were separate. In the 12th century her face is tender and intimate. The child's face is pressed against the mother in affection. The Christ child never is depicted as a helpless baby.
Joseph » In early artistic depictions, Joseph was omitted. The classical Joseph, until the Renaissance, is one who doubts, muses or sleeps. He sits or crouches in a marginal position with relation to mother and child. Later, he appeared in the rear of the scene, sometimes as a smaller figure than Mary. Beginning with the 14th or 15th centuries, Joseph plays a more active role, mainly kneeling or standing in a parallel position to Mary. Joseph's role today is acknowledged as protector of the Holy Family. He sometimes carries a staff or a lamp. Representations showing Joseph actually holding the baby tend to be very modern.
Wise men » By the 10th century, the number of wise men was widely established at three because they brought three gifts -- gold, frankincense and myrrh. By the 10th century, the wise men also had acquired names: Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar. A trio of wise men also was seen as representing the three then-known continents -- Europe, Asia and Africa. And since one had come from Africa, he was depicted as black. They were the first foreigners to learn about the birth and it suggests the spread of Christianity to the world.
Shepherds » Christ came to the lowly, with few material possessions and this is represented as the shepherds contrasted to the wise men.
Midwives » Early Christian art of the Nativity, especially in the East, often included a scene with two midwives who attended Mary at the birth and washed the child.
Animals » The ox and donkey attending the baby Jesus in the manger have become almost essential elements of the Nativity, even though they are not mentioned in the account of his birth. The rooster, a symbol of good luck, always was included in the crèches of Portugal and in El Salvador, Peru and Brazil, where there is a strong Portuguese influence. The rooster awakened people by announcing the birth of Christ. In fact, Midnight Mass in Portugal still is called Mass of the Rooster.
Source: Holly Zenger, History of the Crèche
