Tag: nativity

Nativity Play: Origin and Examples Around the World
The birth of Jesus Christ is told in a Nativity Play, which is sometimes called a Christmas pageant. During the Christmas season, youngsters usually perform it, and animals and props are sometimes part of the drama, along with human and heavenly characters. The play draws on biblical events as a basis, but it is also free to include apocryphal stories, regional elements, and customs. The Nativity Play is a common practice in Sunday schools and elementary schools with a strong Christian focus.
What is a Nativity Play?
The Nativity Play is a Christian folk custom associated with Christmas. It is a multi-character dramatic play and the most popular Christmas peasant mystery play, also known as a shepherd’s play. The characters include not only the baby Jesus but also witnesses to the birth of Jesus: Mary, Joseph, the Three Wise Men, an angel, shepherds, an ox, a donkey, and a lamb. In this folk custom, two traditions blend: pre-Christian pagan and ancient beliefs, as well as customs stemming from the Christian nature of the celebration. Its name in countries like Hungary originates from the biblical city of Bethlehem. The purpose of this folk custom is to drive away evil spirits with noise by wearing costumes and masks.
Originally practiced in what is now Italy, the practice of staging real nativity scenes eventually spread to other Christian nations. Not only does the Catholic Church uphold this practice, but so do other Christian faiths like the Baptists. Nearly two hundred venues throughout Italy hosted Nativity Plays at the turn of the millennium.
A Nativity Play in Porto Alegre, Brazil. (tetraktys, cc by sa 3.0, cropped)
The Beginnings of the Nativity Plays
The Nativity Play or Christmas pageant developed into a spiritual theater that laypeople performed throughout the Middle Ages, with its roots in liturgical Christmas festivities. The nativity scene with the holy family and the infant Jesus Christ was staged at the altar as early as the tenth century.
There was also a dramatization of the shepherds’ news of Christ’s birth (the Shepherds’ play) and the three wise men’s devotion to the newborn (the Three Kings’ play). The Magi Play in Freising, Germany, was one of the first Three Kings’ plays that has been preserved textually. It depicted the events leading up to the Nativity of Christ in one hundred Latin lines, including the escape to Egypt. Around the year 1080, Freising Cathedral probably staged its first performance without scenic representation.
From these roots, Nativity plays emerged in the 12th century. From the 13th century, the Nativity Play from Benediktbeuern (Germany) in Latin (Ludus scenicus de nativitate Domini) is preserved as part of the Carmina Burana manuscript, which also contains a Passion play. The Nativity Play differs from the Nativity Play mainly because it includes additional scenes from the Bible, such as the expulsion of Adam and Eve from paradise, a prophetic play, and the events from the Annunciation to the Flight to Egypt. Stube plays, which meant “nativity plays” performed in a living room or guest room without a dedicated stage, were also common in Styria and Carinthia in Austria.
According to tradition, both the Nativity play and the Christ Child cradle of the Dominican nuns, as well as the Christmas crib, trace back to the year 1223. Allegedly, at that time, Francis of Assisi staged the Nativity scene in the forest of Greccio with live animals and people, anticipating the Feast of the Epiphany. Since then, the Franciscans have promoted this form of representation, which persisted even after the Reformation.
Instances of Nativity Play Around the World
The practice is more recent in certain areas; for instance, the Nativity Play has only been put up since 2009 at Sassi di Matera, the oldest section of Matera (Basilicata), which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Approximately 300 people from the Italian town of Genga in the province of Ancona take part in the Presepe di Genga, the biggest Nativity Play on Earth. It takes place every year in the caverns and their surroundings on the slopes of Mount Frasassi. The Slovenian Postojna Cave hosts similarly ornate Nativity Plays underground.
Other European nations, including Germany, France, and Spain, as well as Central European nations like Poland and the Czech Republic, also have Nativity Plays. Stará Plzeň and several other towns and cities in the Czech Republic have Nativity Plays. Countries in Central and South America, as well as a few US states, have adopted this practice. As an example, Nativity Plays have been created by the Baptist Church in Lafayette, Indiana, as well as other places in Texas and Arkansas. On thirteen indoor and outdoor stages in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, nearly two hundred artists play each December for an audience of over thirteen thousand.
In Germany, Austria and Switzerland
1. Meyer’s Nativity Play depicts the Christmas tale (a mash-up of the Three Kings, Messenger, Herod, and Shepherd plays) all the way up to the beginning of the worship at the crib. It is a lengthy Latin fragment with instructions from the 12th century.
2. Among Austria’s many traditional Nativity Plays, a famous one is performed in Ischl. Although transcription has been around since the 11th century, the first recorded example is from 1654. The Parish Church of “Bad Ischl” still hosts the performance every four years.
3. The late Middle Ages were also the birthplace of the Hofer Christmas drama. The cantor and the St. Lorenz parish school choir took care of the music. The St. Michael’s Church Hofer Latin School carried on the tradition even after the Reformation. Ludger Stühlmeyer’s Nativity Play children’s cantata continued the tradition at St. Marien’s City Church.
4. Since the 1920s, the Lübeck Katharineum has hosted a Nativity Play in Low German during Advent every year at the Aegidienkirche in Lübeck.
5. Waldorf schools are known for their renowned Oberufer Nativity Play.
6. At the Christmas market in Andernach, performers bring the Nativity scene to life. On display in the marketplace is a cradle that represents the events surrounding the birth of Christ. The scene unfolds in a pastoral setting, complete with oxen, donkeys, sheep, shepherds, the three wise men, Mary, Joseph, the angel, and the Christ child. On weekends, there are two performances every day.
7. Beginning with the 2013 Swiss Huttwil Christmas market, Roland Zoss has been performing the contemporary Chinder Wiehnacht in the Alemannic dialect in several churches.
A Nativity Play Ban in Germany
When the city government of Worms in Germany forbade the Evangelical Lutheran community from performing a Nativity Play in the Christmas market in the lead-up to the 2014 holiday season, the incident garnered national attention. The Mainz Administrative Court upheld this restriction on the grounds that the Nativity performance would interfere with other people’s freedom to freely attend the Christmas market. The congregation’s goal in staging the Nativity Play was to bring focus to the situation of refugees. The municipal administration’s decision to ban the Nativity performance was met with severe criticism from the evangelical deanery, Worms-Wonnegau. According to Dean Harald Storch, panic and escape are fundamental elements of the Christmas narrative.
Nativity Plays in Hungary
A unique variation of the nativity scene is the puppet dance nativity scene. It occurs in the Hungarian language area in the Transdanubia and Upper Tisza regions.
Characters: Angel in a white woolen shirt, with a towerless and open-sided puppet dance nativity scene (see the first picture on the first board); first, second, and third shepherds in turned-out sheepskins with sticks; Old Man – similarly, with a long hemp beard and a cauldron. Names of puppets: bride, deaconess with a bell-shaped alms box, two shepherds, friend, chimney sweep, and devil. In the illuminated nativity scene, there is a crib with baby Jesus, Joseph, Mary, animals, and on the wall, holy images can be seen.
– Hungarian Folklore Collection Volume VIII: Transdanubian Collection: Nativity Plays and Christmas Carols, 2–81
November 27, 2023
Who Was Saint Nicholas in History?
Two separate historical figures are combined to become St. Nicholas. Among them is Nicholas of Myra, the bishop of the city of Myra in modern-day Turkey, Antalya. During the 3rd century, he was alive in the records. In contrast, there was also Nicholas of Sion who also lived close to Myra but in the 6th century. Every year on December 6th, if you’ve been nice, there will be something delicious in your boot. The origin of the Saint Nicholas tradition has long been a mystery. Who is the patron saint of numerous churches? How did Saint Nicholas transition from a devout Christian to Santa Claus?
Who was the real Saint Nicholas?
Saint Nicholas Of Myra Bishop, c. 342. (Image: W. Commons)
Saint Nicholas is a composite mythological character based on the lives of two individuals whose stories became intermingled in folklore. This hybrid character of Saint Nicholas allegedly stilled a storm and brought the dead back to life, among many other marvels. The tale goes that he helped a poor man who was on the verge of letting his three children into prostitution because he was so desperate for money.
When nothing worked, St. Nicholas sneakily pitched in by dropping gold coins through the window at night. Therefore, the legend of the selfless guardian who visits unobserved youngsters with gifts through the night took shape in this period, a theme that created Santa Claus.
Among the many saints venerated in the Middle Ages, St. Nicholas gained widespread acclaim, especially in Russia, where he eventually became a patron saint. The European merchant guild Hanseatic League chose Saint Nicholas as its patron saint since he was the patron saint of merchants and sailors along with the repentant thieves. Even now, churches dedicated to St. Nicholas stand as living proof of this fact in many Hanseatic towns. The St. Nicholas Memorial was built to honor those who lost their lives due to Nazi persecution.
How Martin Luther pushed St. Nicholas back
Martin Luther
People have been exchanging gifts on December 6 in honor of St. Nicholas Day since at least the 12th century. Martin Luther condemned the saint worship and St. Nicholas gifts as simple-minded for the Reformation. In this stead, he introduced the practice of exchanging presents in Christmas instead of in the Saint Nicholas Day. People all around the globe, and not only in the Catholic world, observe this tradition at Christmas now.
Martin Luther is implicitly responsible for the creation of the Christ Child icon. St. Nicholas, who had been in charge of the presents up until that point and who may be traced back to the canonized Bishop Nicholas of Myra, was an obvious target in Luther’s war against the worship of saints in general. This is why in 1535 Luther changed the tradition of distributing gifts to children and family members from St. Nicholas Day to Christmas. No longer did Saint Nicholas deliver the presents; instead, the “Holy Christ” did it. Eventually, this image was reduced to the Christ Child because it was too abstract for children and regular people.
The Christ Child is a character from Christmas plays and nativities, not the infant Jesus in the manger, as is often believed. Mary and Joseph were commonly escorted by a group of heavenly girls with white robes and golden hair, with the “Christ Child” (the newborn Jesus) acting as their leader. This figure was then modeled after the many depictions of saints and angels seen in churches.
Origin of Black Pete, Saint Nicholas’ companion
Traditional children novels portrayed Black Pete or Zwarte Piet, a fearsome dark-skinned assistant of Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus who chastised misbehaving children. (Image: W. Commons)
However, beginning in the 19th century, Santa Claus was shown not just as a generous gift-giver but also as a harsh disciplinarian. He was typically joined by a scary figure known variously as “Black Pete” or “Zwarte Piet,” all of whom are intended to terrify youngsters. He often wields a rod in place of a bag of gifts. But he wasn’t always a bad guy. It was widely believed in the 19th century that the origins of St. Nicholas’ helper were in Pagan traditions. He traveled over the winter months to chase away bad spirits.
In Pagan rituals, Black Pete was not black but rather had soot on his face that made him look like one. In Northern Europe about 1,100 BC, Pagan Shamans began dressing in animal skins and blackening their faces with soot to represent fabled monsters of the underworld, providing a possible genesis for the companions of Saint Nicholas (and Santa Claus) with a dark complexion.
On the other side, there are legends that cast Black Pete in an even worse light. For instance, Black Pete was a clergyman who cursed children who were joyfully rejoicing and dancing on Christmas Day in the year 1021. Others place the beginnings of Black Pete in the Middle Ages, when the concept of “child horror” was employed to legitimize reforms in the classrooms. Whatever the situation may be, he was actually often portrayed as an enemy of Saint Nicholas.
How did St. Nicholas turn into Santa Claus?
St. Nicholas is traditionally represented with the gown and mitre of a bishop in Central Europe. However, in other parts, the popular image of St. Nicholas is that of a jolly elderly man with a white beard and a thick red cloak, somewhat unlike Santa Claus. But Luther’s reformation did widely relegate St. Nicholas to obscurity and make him morph into Santa Claus.
Santa Claus has been around in history for quite some time. For a long time, on the night of December 5-6, St. Nicholas stuffed the shoes and socks of the Catholic aristocracy. He had an assistant named Knecht Ruprecht, or Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) who would reward good and hardworking kids and penalize slackers.
Changes that resulted in the modern Santa Claus image occurred in the 19th century. Combining elements of Zwarte Piet (his boots, bag, and rod) with the childlike godfather of St. Nicholas with his red bishop’s regalia and gift-giving role (and his long white beard), the stereotypical Santa Claus was born.
Santa Claus, however, has evolved from playing the role of the loving but authoritarian father who pays the children for good behavior and punishes them for bad, to that of a more lighthearted character who wears a thick red fur coat and has a big round belly and red, chubby cheeks.
The image of modern Santa Claus
Today’s iconic “Merry Old Santa Claus” painting was a piece of Union propaganda meant to solidify the public’s perception of Santa. (Image: by Thomas Nast, Wikimedia Commons)
The German immigrant Thomas Nast is credited with giving St. Nicholas the look of today’s Santa Claus. In the United States, the cartoonist depicted Santa Claus with a white beard, red suit, and fur-trimmed hat as early as 1862. The plump, bearded man brought gifts to Union troops stationed up north. It was Union propaganda meant to solidify the public’s perception of Santa.
After that, Santa Claus had been portrayed in the art for decades with a striking resemblance to the modern-day version. Coca-Cola didn’t utilize this version of Santa Claus in a commercial until 1931, which later popularized the character worldwide for the first time in history.
Bibliography
1. Jean Blacker; Glyn S. Burgess; Amy V. Ogden, 2013, “The Life of St Nicholas: Introduction”.
2. George Ferguson, 1976, “St. Nicholas of Myra or Bari”, Signs and Symbols in Christian Art, Oxford University Press.
3. Jeremy Seal, 2005, Nicholas: The Epic Journey from Saint to Santa Claus.
December 23, 2022
Three Wise Men: The Biblical Characters and Their Origin
On January 6, religious Christians celebrate the day the Three Wise Men came to pay their respects to the Christ Child in Bethlehem. The Bible says that the men, sometimes known as the Biblical Magi or Three Kings, visited the infant Jesus with gifts. What kind of kings, if any, did they really play? And were there really three of them?
Origin of the Biblical Magi
This may disappoint the coral singers of the Epiphany, but the Bible says nothing about the number of the kings. The Greek word “magoi” (which is where the English word “magi” comes from) is the source for Matthew’s use of the term “wise men from the east” to describe the travelers who followed the star to Bethlehem to find the infant Jesus. According to the Gospel of Matthew, it was Roman Jewish King Herod the Great (b. 20 BC) who sent the wise men.
The Greek word “magoi” means a practitioner of magic, including even astrology. The word was used for the well-read and cultured men of the day, for whom stargazing or alchemy represented a scientific showdown with the cosmos. Therefore, “wise men,” as later translated by Martin Luther, was a better wording than the magi. The whole theme was that the foreign aristocracy was visiting the infant Jesus.
Popular in Christmas myths and rituals all across the globe, the Three Wise Men are generally shown as aged, wise men in traditional Christian art. It is often held that the three wise men story symbolized the three major faiths of the time—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—and that the presents they brought Jesus signified his three main functions as king, priest, and sacrifice, at least for the Christian scholars.
How Many Magi Were There?
The Magi following the Bethlehem Star.
The idea that there should have been three magi is just an assumption with no historical value. The Biblical Magi brought three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. However, any number of individuals could deliver these three gifts. That is why some of the oldest murals about the Biblical Magi depict two men, while others have four. Only in the Middle Ages do the Biblical Magi become “three kings” or “three wise men.” One of the wise men had a dark complexion, and his name was Balthazar; his two companions’ names were Caspar and Melchior.
It’s not certain whether the Three Wise Men ever existed. Many Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) prophecies were used by Matthew to support the claim that Jesus was the promised Messiah. The story of the Three Wise Men from the East reads like a patchwork of many prophecies. The noblemen later became the focal point of Medieval Nativity scenes. Balthazar, the dark-skinned member of the pair, became a fan favorite and continues to be featured in dark skin as he was supposed to be of African origin.
The Bones of the Magi
Cologne Cathedral, Shrine of the Three Magi, created around 1181-1230 by the goldsmith Nicholas of Verdun. (Image: Beckstet, Wikimedia Commons)
You may not need to go back in time if you want to pay a visit to the Three Wise Men. Christians believe that their remains are housed in the Shrine of the Three Kings, a golden shrine located in Cologne Cathedral in Germany. The Shrine of the Three Magi created around 1181-1230 by the goldsmith Nicholas of Verdun.
The remains were one of the Middle Ages’ most priceless artifacts of cultural significance. The Milan Cathedral was the first location where the bones were stored. The artifact was a war booty given to Rainald von Dassel, Archbishop of Cologne, by Frederick Barbarossa after the latter’s 1162 conquest of the city.
Three men of varying ages were determined to be the source of the bones when they were inspected in 1864 by an anatomist in Bonn. At first glance, this seems meaningless. But the bones are still among the oldest authentic Christian artifacts since they were found on a piece of 2nd-century Syrian fabric, indicating that they were treasured as relics at an early date anyway.
The Chalking-The-Door Tradition
Chalking the door is a religious tradition for Biblical Magi. (Bill Barber, CC BY-NC 2.0 DEED)
Whether or not the Three Wise Men existed, the mythology still motivates hundreds of kids every year to dress up as nobles and chant their way around neighborhoods in search of donations for charity. The year and the initials of the wise men are chalked into the doors on the Fest of Epiphany on January 6 as follows: 20*C+M+B+23 (for 2023).
In time, Christians also interpreted these initials to mean “Christus Mansionem Benedicat” in Latin, or “Christ, bless this house. This “chalking the door” tradition was also a Scottish way of telling renters they had to leave, until recently.
-> See also: Christmas in Scotland: Traditions and Celebrations
Origin of Epiphany
Today, one of Christianity’s earliest celebrations—Epiphany—is encapsulated in a tradition that has its roots in legend: God incarnates as Jesus Christ. Epiphany has its roots in the early Christians’ celebration of Christmas, which was more interested in the metaphor of light than the romanticism of a manger.
It’s possible that the first Christians appropriated and reinterpreted this feast from various religions and also the Roman Emperor Cult. Because the church in the Roman Empire accepted the popular celebration of the unconquered sun god (“Sol Invictus”) and its symbolism as Christmas on December 25.
Even though January 6 is not as significant a Christian holiday as Christmas or Easter, it is nonetheless observed as a holiday in various countries, from Argentina, Bulgaria, and Egypt to the United States or Finland.
For a long time, January 6, the day of Epiphany, was a major celebration day. Until the middle of the 20th century, the first day of school usually began later than January 6th after the winter break in western countries. Since the public was aware that Christmas celebrations often continued until at least January 6.
Bibliography
1. Nigel Pennick (2015). “Pagan Magic of the Northern Tradition: Customs, Rites, and Ceremonies.” Inner Traditions – Bear & Company.
2. “An Epiphany Blessing of Homes and Chalking the Door”. Discipleship Ministries. 2007.
3. Essick Amber, John Inscore (2011). “Distinctive Traditions of Epiphany” (PDF). 2016.
December 23, 2022
Advent Wreath: The History and Meaning
A religious scholar made the first Advent wreath. The traditional Advent wreath is a dense wreath, often crafted from fir foliage, and adorned with four candles. The one before it, however, by Hamburg theologian Johann Hinrich Wichern, included a great deal more adornment with candles. This is the importance of the Advent tradition and its historical background.
The custom of decorating a home with an Advent wreath dates back to the 19th century. The Protestant-influenced Hamburg orphanage Rauhen Haus, founded in 1833 by Johann Hinrich Wichern, placed special emphasis on the holiday season. The kids were constantly asking Wichern in the days leading up to Christmas when Christmas would arrive. Foreseeing this inquiry, he fashioned a Christmas calendar of sorts in 1839 to help the youngsters pass the time.
The Pagan origin of the wreath
A Pagan ritual.
Historically, wreaths were created in Europe for use in pagan ceremonies connected to the four seasons and the celebration of new life. The Roman link of the wreath with honor and virtue was adopted by Christianity as its own. The object was later used by many cultures, including the ancient Romans, and found its way all the way to the Advent wreath of Christianity.
Leaves, flowers, and branches could be woven together to form a wreath, which could be worn around the head. It was customary to wear the wreath at special events and religious holidays. Similar to how characters from Roman and Greek mythology, as well as Roman and Greek kings and heroes, were shown wearing wreaths in art throughout the Middle Ages, so too did the Virgin Mary and other saints.
A lighted wagon wheel was the first Advent wreath
Unlike modern Advent calendars, which tally the days from December 1st to Christmas Eve, he used a wagon wheel with as many candles as there were days between the beginning of Advent and Christmas Eve. Every year, the number of days between the first Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve varies between 22 (when Christmas Eve occurs on the fourth Sunday of Advent) and 28 (when Christmas Eve occurs on the Saturday following the fourth Advent). They numbered 23 in 1839.
Johann Hinrich Wichern (1808-1881), the creator of the first Advent wreath.
The content of the first wreath
To honor those who have passed away, Wichern placed the wreath in the orphanage’s chapel. It was lit with 19 thin red candles and 4 large white ones. A fresh candle was lit each day of Advent, with smaller ones used throughout the week and larger ones reserved for Sundays. In this manner, the kids could keep track of the time until Christmas. One beneficial byproduct of the wreath was that it helped kids acquire basic counting skills.
The Advent wreath has become a global phenomenon
Until the turn of the century, the wreath was not widely used in Protestant churches or private homes unless it was additionally decked with fir foliage. It is also believed that the first wreath was displayed in a Catholic church in Cologne in 1925. Since at least the immediate postwar period, it has been widely available in every imaginable form all around the globe.
These days, you may get wreaths in a wide variety of materials, from terrycloth to plastic to porcelain to portable, collapsible wreaths. One thing that they all have in common is that, unlike the Wichern wreath, these wreaths only contain four candles, one for each Sunday in Advent. Since a wreath would need to be 3 to 7 feet (1 to 2 meters) in diameter to hold more than twenty candles, the rest have been abandoned throughout time.
However, the Wichern custom is maintained in the Rauhen Haus in Hamburg. This is where you may see the first-ever Advent wreath, created by Johann Hinrich Wichern in 1839.
The color of fir is a symbol of optimism
It’s likely that the Advent wreath’s continued popularity today may be attributed to the depth and clarity of the symbolism it conveys. The circle, with no beginning and no end, is a symbol of eternity and infinity, as well as, in Christian belief, the resurrection and, not to be forgotten, community.
One interpretation of the wreath’s four candles is that they represent the four cardinal points of the world. In the middle of ice and snow, in the cold and darkness, new life prepares itself, and the evergreen fir in winter is a cipher of that hope. Furthermore, there is a light in the early winter darkness that grows stronger each Sunday—a symbolic representation of the hope Christians have in Jesus.
The non-Christian origin of the Advent wreath
The Advent wreath actually evolved from a non-Christian practice. In the early Middle Ages, maids and servants could cite an unwritten rule that said they were exempt from working outdoors in the bitter winter. For this purpose, they would remove a wheel from the wagon they used to transport farm equipment to the fields from its storage spot in the barn and hang it either from the roof ridge or within the home above the chimney. However, evergreen branches were added to the design of the wheel since it was also thought of as a representation of the sun, and its return in the spring was hoped to be signaled by their presence.
December 23, 2022