“And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger,” (Luke 2:12). On that cold December night, Angels from heaven thus announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds of Bethlehem. And the son of God was born in a stable amidst animals and shepherds.
The representation of this scene of nativity, popularly known as Christmas crib, in churches and houses is a tradition almost a thousand years old.
The first crib arrangement can be traced back to the year 1223 AD when St Francis celebrated the feast of Christmas in a way that would help people understand the poor surrounding in which Jesus was born. It is said that in an Italian town called Greccio, St Francis with the help of local people set up a real life nativity scene with the stable and animals. Many people from the town came with candles and attended a holy mass near the crib and praised the lord for sending his child born for the sake of the poor and for the ones who are good and simple at heart.
The crib set up by St Francis is now a far call. Time has changed, and today, arranging a Christmas crib has become an integral part of Christmas celebrations. Kids have a gala time decorating the cribs and in most houses, though the cribs are arranged by the beginning of December, Baby Jesus does not appear until the 25th. On the Christmas day kids rush towards the crib to take a look at the ‘new born Jesus’ and of course to collect the presents kept for them near the Christmas tree.
Express caught up with some enthusiastic bunch of engineering students of Park College, all ready for Christmas. “We have exams on 26th so we will be here for Christmas. But exams have not put our spirits down. We have made a beautiful crib at our home here,” they said.
Joshua, a second-year mechanical engineering student recalls when he was a kid arranging the crib was a duty he and his brother would mostly happily take part in. “To create the feel of a cave we used to rub charcoal on a paper and then assemble it as rocks around the stable.”
Sara, another engineering student, says she used to paint stones in black to create the look. She also recalls that once the structure of the crib is set by the adults, the arrangements and the decorations were done by the kids.
New trend which has caught up in the city is ‘readymade cribs’. Along with beautiful stars and Christmas tree decorations, readymade cribs are now commonly seen in the Christmas special gift sections.
But octogenarian George disagrees with the idea. “The manger is a representation of simplicity and I feel readymade cribs are an extravaganza. Arranging a Christmas crib brings the whole family together. What pleasure does one get buying a readymade crib?” he wonders.
Three years ago in an Angelus message Pope Benedict XVI said, “To set up the crib at home can be a simple but effective way of presenting the faith and transmitting it to one’s children. The manger helps us to contemplate the mystery of God’s love who revealed himself in the poverty and simplicity of the Bethlehem cave. It continues to be a sign also for us _ men and women of the 21st century. There is no other Christmas.”
This artilce was published in Expresso, the city supplement of The New Indian Express on December 19
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: anula, The New Indian Express, young journalist
In my childhood days I also used to enjoy making the the crib. And now my cousins kids use a ready made crib. But they are also very much excited about their ready made crib. I dont think making one on your own is a necessity.
Jesus