The Living Nativity

What it is

In a living nativity, real people take the place of the figures. It sounds simple, but it changes two big things.

First, the onlooker steps into the scene instead of looking down on it. There’s no miniature scale, no single viewpoint, no glass case. Slovenia takes this idea a long way: one of its living nativities is staged along three miles inside a cave, and another at the foot of frozen waterfalls. See the nativity in Slovenia.

Second, the scene becomes a community event. It takes dozens of people, costumes, planning and a date on the calendar. You can set up a tabletop nativity by yourself, but a living nativity needs a whole congregation or town on board. That shared effort, more than the realism, is what links it to Greccio.

Three forms

1. The tableau

   A single, still scene (the Nativity) set up in a church, on a town square, on the church lawn or in front of a porch, with a few volunteers and often some animals. Short, and usually just one evening. It’s the most common form and the easiest to put on.

2. The walk-through

   The whole village becomes the set. Visitors follow a marked route past one scene after another: the angel appearing to the shepherds, the census, the inn with no room, the blacksmith’s shop, and the stable at the end. Old trades come back to life for the occasion. It’s the classic form in Italy and Spain, and the American “Bethlehem walk” or drive-through works the same way. On the island of Gozo, in Malta, two villages a few miles apart keep it going: see the nativity in Malta.

3. The play

   A real play, with a script and a story: the Provençal pastorale, the Polish jasełka, the German Krippenspiel, the Mexican pastorelas, and the American Christmas pageant. Here, acting matters more than the picture.

Where the tradition is strongest

• Italy: the presepe vivente is staged in hundreds of towns, especially in the South and in Sicily. Greccio itself holds a reenactment.
• Spain: belenes vivientes, deeply rooted in Andalusia and rural areas.
• Provence: the pastrage, the offering of a lamb during Midnight Mass, is a form of living nativity built into the liturgy.
• United States: the living nativity is one of the great church traditions of the American Christmas. Congregations of every denomination stage it on their lawn or parking lot, often as a drive-through, with animals borrowed from local farms. In Poland, Germany and Austria, it mostly takes the form of plays performed by children in schools and parishes.
• Latin America: the Mexican posadas are a traveling living nativity spread over nine evenings, which is unique; they’re kept today in many Mexican American communities, from San Antonio to Los Angeles.

Dates and places change every year, so we don’t list them: any list would be out of date by next winter. Check with local churches, your city’s events calendar and the local visitors bureau.

Organizing a living nativity

If you’re putting one on for a parish, a school or a neighborhood, here are a few things that make the difference between a great evening and a stressful one.

1. Start small

   One scene, one evening, fifteen volunteers. A walk-through village takes a year of planning and a whole team, so save it for later.

2. Set the date and time early

   Dusk is the best time: the light does all the work. In December, that means early, around 5 or 6 p.m., which also works for families with kids.

3. Plan for the cold

   This is the part people underestimate most. Volunteers stand still outdoors in December, often in thin costumes. Plan to switch people every twenty minutes, with layers under the costumes, a heated room nearby and hot drinks. For the Baby Jesus, always use a doll, never a real infant.

4. Light it low and warm

   The same ideas apply as for a tabletop nativity; see lighting. Fire pits, lanterns, LED candles. A white floodlight from the front ruins the mood instantly.

5. Manage the flow of visitors

   A one-way route, a separate entrance and exit, and a warm place to wait. A living nativity often draws more people than you expect; for a drive-through, plan the parking-lot traffic and have volunteers in reflective vests.

6. Check permits and insurance

   Using public space, safety, animals, insurance: check with your church’s insurance carrier. Rules vary by state and town, so ask your city or county ahead of time, not after.

The animals

Animals make a big part of the magic, and cause most of the headaches. A few common-sense rules:

• Work with an experienced owner (a farmer, a petting zoo, a 4-H family) instead of winging it. An animal used to crowds acts very differently from one taken straight out of its pasture.
• Short shifts. An hour or two, with water, shelter and bedding nearby.
• One handler per animal, there the whole time, with no other job.
• No hands-on contact with visitors, and above all no feeding by the public.
• Check local rules on animals in public spaces and places of worship. Almost every place has them, and they’re different everywhere.

Pitfalls

• The show takes over. Loud speakers, stage lights, elaborate staging: you end up with a Christmas show, which is a different thing. A living nativity’s strength is its simplicity.
• Too many people standing around. Thirty people waiting with nothing to do feels heavy. Better to have fewer people doing real things: working, walking, talking.
• Sloppy costumes. One modern jacket in view can spoil the whole thing. Simple costumes that match beat fancy ones that don’t. And watch for sneakers under the robes.
• Forgetting the audience. They’re standing in the cold, often with kids. Keeping it short and the route easy is a way of making them welcome.