Nativity Sets Around The World

In the story of Christ's nativity, the visit of the three kings represents the global nature of His birth. In that same fashion, nativity sets around the world celebrate Christ's nativity in their own unique artistic manner.

The nativity scene has become very familiar to us: a child in a manger, mother and father at His side, surrounded by shepherds, wise men, camels, and oxen. The human figures are all white-skinned and crafted in a realistic and literal style. But as creche collectors know, this familiar scene resembles only a fraction of the nativity sets around the world.

The Nativity: A Global Event
Purchasing a nativity scene from another nation is a wonderful way of emphasizing the global nature of Christ's nativity. Nativity sets from foreign countries also add aesthetic interest to an indoor or outdoor creche. Representations of the human figure considered realistic in continents such as Africa or South America can appear shockingly abstract to the North American or European eye. The sculptures of the Kuba people of Africa, for example, transformed the way Pablo Picasso represented the human form.

Go Ye Into All the World
The hand-crafted production of nativity sets is perfectly suited to the artistic process of many nations. The materials used to make nativity figures such as the three kings or three wise men also vary tremendously.

In Haiti, for example, you might find a small nativity scene made from recycled metal, with black-skinned figures assembled in an intimate example of maternal warmth. In Ecuador, a nativity scene crafted from banana leaf and woven palm injects an abstract yet earthy quality into the traditional assembly.

From the East - the region from which the three kings came - a handcrafted wood nativity set from India is immediately compelling. The representations of the three wise men and Christ's parents are triangular and faceless, almost chess-like in their use of tones and shapes to suggest bodily features.

"Go ye into all the world," was Christ's last command to his disciples. Owning a nativity set from another nation is a great way to bring the world to you.