Most are probably familiar with Nativity scenes and may have even been part of school productions of the Nativity or put them up in their homes each Christmas. This is a way of commemorating and re-enacting the birth of Jesus by staging and arranging the figures from the event outside a manger. The ones in homes are usually in miniature but churches often have life-size versions. Some even stage outdoor “live” Nativity scenes with real animals and people acting as the figures from the story. This tradition is said to have been created in Italy and, as a result, there are many live Nativities all over the country which are rather famous. One of the most famous, arguably is the one at Greccio in Lazio which is said to be the very first. To visit this charming event for yourself, just find a vacation rental in Lazio.
It is said that the tradition was born as early as the 5th century but gained traction with St Francis' passionate reconstruction. After St. Francis came back from visiting the Holy Land and, in particular, Bethlehem, with the memories of visiting the town where Christ had been born, he wanted to reproduce the scene of the Nativity on Christmas Eve in Greccio. He prepared a manger with hay, had an ox and a donkey brought there, and then had a Holy Mass celebrated in front of it, before a large crowd of people who had come from all over the region. It is also said that on this Christmas Eve in 1223, a vision of the Child appeared on the hay. The miraculous event stirred up the animals and moved the hearts of many who felt themselves touched by what had happened.
Devotion, a characteristic of Franciscan spirituality, certainly contributed to the development of the practice of representing the Nativity scene which has continued to this day. Today in Greccio, you can still see the grotto in which the Nativity took place and the stone on which the hay was placed. It has a rough, shallow, V-shaped indentation where the carved image of the baby was laid. There were no figures of Joseph and Mary, just of the two animals. If you are there around Christmas you can witness the Nativity scene as presented by the local towns-people. The performance runs from December 24th through to the 6th of January, which is the feast of the Epiphany.
It is certainly a sight to behold with processions, costumes and large crowds and not to be missed if you are visiting Lazio.
