Nativity Scenes and Pageants

Commemorating the location of the Savior’s birth began, perhaps when Roman Emperor Constantine commissioned the building of the Church of the Nativity on the spot in Bethlehem assumed to be the birthplace. St. Francis of Assisi first introduced the crèche, or wooden nativity scene, at the Christmas service of 1223. He has also been credited with starting the tradition of the living nativity near the Italian village of Greccio in the mid-1200’s.

The tradition of setting up a nativity scene or crèche in the home began with the early Pennsylvania German settlers. A “putz” (German for decoration), or Christmas tree yard, was set up under or near the tree. It consisted of a stable scene, and sometimes a Noah’s Ark scene. Some putz creations became grand and intricate displays, with clumps of moss used for grass and actual streams, ponds and waterfalls, running through countryside and village scenes.

During the Middle Ages in Europe, nativity plays called actos were performed in liturgical style honoring the birth of the Christ child and the adoration of Him by the Magi (the Three Wise Men or Kings). Often the Star of Bethlehem hovered over these dramatic re-enact-ments. One of the first nativity plays was written in Spanish called El Aucto de Los Reyes Magos written around 1150 A.D. It was presented in the Cathedral of Toledo in Spain and was probably performed there many times at Christmastide. Mostly, the characters were choir boys in minimal costume and stage "sets" were dominated by the radiant Star of Bethlehem.

In Spain, Mexico and throughout much of the American Southwest, the Las Posadas procession is practiced. It is a type of nativity pageant that involves many participants, who follow Mary and Joseph down city streets. The ensemble joins in singing songs relating to the search for a room for the birth of Christ.

The world’s most famous religious pageant, the Passion Play,was staged in Oberammergau, Germany in 1634, and has been performed every ten years since. Throughout the Christian world, plays and pageants of the nativity story have long been a favorite holiday production in churches and schools.