More Nativity Scenes from Around the World

In my first year of blogging, I did a post on nativity scenes from around the world. I shared that I had been collecting nativities as I enjoyed seeing how the birth of Christ was interpreted and represented within various cultures and by various artists. We recognize that while Christ’s birth happened in a certain time and location in history, he came for all mankind. The various cultural interpretations acknowledge that fact.

The nativity scene in the cover photo is a cardboard scene that is my childhood nativity scene. I remember setting it up each year. Behind the star there’s a place for a Christmas light that would shine down inside the stable. I loved putting it together each year. Perhaps that’s where my love for nativity scenes started. I don’t put this one up anymore, but I hold on to it as a precious memory of my family and our Christmas experience. However, I have come to realize that the pale, almost blonde baby Jesus is not a true representation of whom Jesus was. He was a Middle Eastern Jewish man. But what might he have looked like if he had entered the world through another culture?

What if he had entered the world in Latin America? Peruvian artists can see that image. They are some of the most prolific creators of nativity scenes. One of my tallest nativity scenes is from there. When I bought it online, I did not realize how large it was. I usually buy smaller scenes as they take up less space. What attracted me to this particular set were the designs on the characters. They have a very specific artistic design which reminds me of Incan culture. While the Incans had no contact with Christianity until the Spaniards conquered them, some of their cultural elements live on in Peru, and this set reminds me of that. The llama is the punctuation mark for their culture.

While the previous set from Peru has a regal quality to it, this next Peruvian set has a more humble appearance. It is a painted ceramic rather than being glazed, and the figures have a rural quality to them. This is one of my larger sets in terms of the number of figures. Besides the basic characters, there are two angels, a sheep, and donkey. I really do enjoy this set, and it often sits on my fireplace mantle.

Sheep are one of the most popular elements added to the basic figures of the nativity scene. My daughter gave me this cute set which she bought during a trip to Chile. The figures are made from wool. I find it interesting that Mary, Joseph and the angel have no mouth. However, the sheep steal the scene for me. It is a very simple design, but you can tell they are intended to be sheep, and it’s very effective.

This wooden set is from Ecuador. I have seen a number of versions of it online so it seems to be a popular item to make and sell. The paint gives a very rustic appearance that makes it look old, but it’s not. The clothing does have a cultural look to it, and I find it quite charming. Joseph’s staff is quite interesting. So far three of the four Joseph figures in the sets I have shared have had Joseph with a staff. However, Joseph wasn’t a shepherd so I find it an odd choice. How many more can you see?

Speaking of charming, the next set from El Salvador has the cutest sheep ever. This is really a simple design using flat pieces of wood, but the paint is bright and shiny and really stands out. The clothing of Mary and Joseph are colorful and indicative of the patterns in many Salvadoran fabrics. However, it’s the sheep who again steal the show. The design is perfect. You know it’s a sheep even though it’s really just a disproportionately large painted circle of wood.

When I did the previous nativity post, I included a nativity set from the Native Americans in New Mexico. This nativity set also comes from New Mexico but from a different tribe, the Cochiti. This set is very small with the Mary and Joseph figures only two inches tall. However, the artist has intricately painted them with patterns of her native group. This set is hard to display just because it is so small. It’s hard to notice, but I love the artistic design.

Cork is a common product here in the US. We see it especially on bulletin boards. Did you know that most of the cork comes from Portugal? They export about 65% of the world’s cork. It’s no wonder then that an artisan would use cork to created a nativity scene in Portugal. This set is fairly small as well. Attached to a base, the figures cannot be rearranged. The artist left the cork unpainted so there is not much detail. Nevertheless one realizes easily what it intends to depict because of the different colors of cork.

Another interesting material used to created a nativity scene is the corn husk. This nativity scene from Russia uses this material along with some other materials to created a unique nativity scene. The artist carefully manipulated the husks to make the clothes for Mary and Joseph. They, along with the manger, are attached to a base. Wandering free are three very curly sheep. I don’t think the sheep are made from corn husks but rather wood shavings.

Here is another example of a carved wood nativity scene. This one is from Madagascar, Africa, an island off Africa’s eastern coast. Stained very dark, the detail is quite good but hard to see in the photo. There are a number of figures. I find it quite interesting that one of the magi is much shorter than the other two. While the animals in attendance includes two sheep, there is also a water buffalo. That adds a cultural element into the mix.

The final nativity set I am sharing today is also from Africa, but I’m not sure which country. This set is fairly large in size, but I love it for its colorful representation. The three main figures have wooden stands so they can stand up. The African clothing is outstanding and certainly makes a statement. Probably my favorite part is the small African hut. It is so out of proportion to the rest of the set, but that’s often the case in folk art.

So there you have ten nativity scenes from around the world each representing a different group of people and their culture. Did you note how many Joseph figures had a staff? Do you have a favorite nativity set? Isn’t it great that the Christmas story is for the whole world? It makes our world so much richer.

I don’t plan to write any new blog posts for the next few weeks. However, I will post a photo for the Wordless Wednesday blog challenge. If you are looking at those posts on your phone, it is important to tap the post so you can see the cover photo which will be the photo I am sharing.

In the meantime, I want to wish everyone a very merry and blessed Christmas, and look for new posts in the new year.

Credit: The trees in the photos are from the collection of Silvette Lee