It is easy to get into the Christmas spirit in December when carols are playing everywhere you go, and the stores are filled with holiday displays. But what if you want to keep the feeling of Christmas all year long? You’re in luck. There are some museums, churches and retailers in America that offer nativity
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Where to See Nativity Sets Year-Around in America
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Best Creche Exhibitions to Visit This Christmas
We all often hear the question, “What is the true meaning of Christmas?” One of the simplest and best ways to contemplate the holiday is by viewing a creche display. It is difficult not to be moved by the humble and yet extraordinary circumstances of the night Jesus was born. Artists have represented the Holy
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Were Animals in the Manger on the First Christmas?
Most representations of Jesus’ birth show donkeys, cows, and sheep watching over the Holy Family and a camel or two arriving with the Three Kings. Artistic renderings may include animals that are native to the artist’s country. For example, an African artist might include a zebra or a giraffe at the manger scene. But what
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Glencairn Museum: Nativity Collection in a Castle
If you will be in the Philadelphia area this holiday season, you owe it to yourself to plan a visit to Glencairn in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. Built between 1928 and 1939, Glencairn is an impressive Medieval-style castle that first served as a private home for the Raymond Pitcairn family and now serves as a museum.
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4 Amazing Nativity Set Traditions from Europe
There is perhaps no more meaningful way to celebrate the birth of Christ than by displaying a crèche. Since St. Francis of Assisi staged the first nativity scene in 1223, the idea of the Christmas crèche has spread throughout the world. Since the crèche is both a representation of faith and an art form, many
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How Fontanini Became the Most Famous Nativity Sets in the World
If you grew up with a nativity set in your home that was a family heirloom, chances are pretty good that is was a Fontanini Nativity set. The Fontanini tradition dates back to the late 1800s when company founder Emanuele Fontanini began creating crèche figures in the little town of Bagni di Lucca located in
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