The ideal Nativity picture depicts the birth or birthplace of Jesus. In Hispanic countries like Spain, it is called Belen which means Bethlehem.
The Italian presepio, which used small carved Nativity scene figures in the 18th century are used as models today. The Italian Fontanini nativity figures and accessories are popular heirloom items today. Around the world, Nativity sets are known as a nacimiento, belen, presipio, szopks, pesebre, portal, Krippe, or jeslicky. In America, they called a creche, meaning “manger“or “crib“ in French. The backgrounds and landscapes use wood, glass, ceramic, grass, straw, fabric, and the newest addition is artificial plastic stones.
The Nativity pictures are a favorite with painters, illustrators, and other artists in the recreation of the Christmas Nativity. American artists have drawn inspiration from the European paintings and early Bible illustrations. Other artists, however, dressed the Nativity characters and set the scenes to reflect their inspiration like European Renaissance painters.
The Nativity scene photos are represented through illustrations and paintings, brought to life by churches and other groups. The first live reproduction of the outside Christmas Nativity of a church is given to St. Francis of Assisi for the event he staged in Greccio, Italy, in 1223. Since then, the practice has spread around the world in pageants, church reproductions, neighborhood rituals such as the posada, professionally staged plays where huge casts including live animals are utilized, and school plays where sometimes the imaginative interpretations of the script provides highly original versions of the events.
There are several vast collections of the Nativity in palaces and museums. The world’s largest is a Swiss nativity production, the Diorama Bethlehem in Einsiedeln, which reproduces the topography of Bethlehem and hundreds of carved figures.
Christmas CarnivalsChristmas Nativity Scenes Picture illustrates the birth of Christ and Gabriel’s message of to the shepherds, the journey by the three kings, and the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt.
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