THE PROVENÇAL VILLAGE
The Elders of the Nativity
There are three or four of them depending on the workshop. They’re old, dressed in their Sunday best, they bicker, and they always arrive late. The elders are the most lovable group in the Provençal nativity, and every one of their accessories tells a story.
Grasset and Grassette
They’re the most popular elderly couple, and one of the few santons almost every workshop sells under the same name. You’ll see them sitting side by side on a bench or standing arm in arm.
They’re in their Sunday best: she’s wrapped in an embroidered shawl, he has a red scarf knotted like a tie. Traditionally, Grasset holds an umbrella and Grassette a basket full of food. Those two items are how you know it’s them. An elderly couple without the umbrella and basket is usually just an old couple, not Grasset and Grassette.
Several workshops in our directory sell them by name, as a seated or standing couple, and sometimes as two separate figures.
Monsieur Jourdan and Margarido
The other couple comes from the Pastorale Maurel, the best-known Provençal Christmas play. Monsieur Jourdan and his wife Margarido are the last to hear the shepherds’ call, and the last to set out.
Margarido usually arrives on her donkey with a big basket of food, and Monsieur Jourdan walks beside her. They’re both very dressed up: top hat, floppy bow tie, embroidered vest and buckled shoes for him, lace cap and fine shawl for her. Tradition gives them short tempers and constant squabbles, which makes a perfect contrast in a scene where almost everyone else is full of wonder.
Roustido and his lantern
Roustido is the Jourdans’ friend, and you can spot his santon by one thing: his lantern. The reason behind it is one of the sweetest stories in the whole nativity.
Roustido is a little hard of hearing. He heard the shepherds’ call too late and found himself alone in the village in the middle of the night, after everyone else had left. So he grabbed a lantern and went to wake his neighbors, Monsieur Jourdan and Margarido. The lantern isn’t just decoration: it’s there because he couldn’t hear.
His tidy clothes are another clue. He’s said to be the village’s retired notary, and his santon shows it: he’s the best dressed of the group. In Yvan Audouard’s pastorale, he’s Mireille’s father.
The characters change from one play to another. Antoine Maurel, Jean-François Audibert and Yvan Audouard don’t have the same casts or the same personalities, and santon makers borrow from all of them. So two nativities can have two different Roustidos, and neither one is wrong.
Where to place them
The elders arrive last, so their place is on the path, still far from the stable and heading toward it. They give your nativity a sense of time: the shepherds are already there, but the elders are still on their way.
Grasset and Grassette, if they’re seated, are the exception: put their bench on the village square and leave them there. Details in arrangement.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between Grasset and Grassette and Monsieur Jourdan and Margarido?
They’re two different couples. Grasset and Grassette are the village’s elderly couple, often seated, with their umbrella and basket. Monsieur Jourdan and Margarido come from the Pastorale Maurel, are much more dressed up, and Margarido rides a donkey. Many nativities have both.
Why does Roustido carry a lantern?
Because he’s hard of hearing and heard the shepherds’ call too late. Finding himself alone in the village, he takes a lantern to go get Monsieur Jourdan and Margarido. The lantern tells his story, just as Grasset’s umbrella tells you it’s a special day.
Should you buy them all?
No. The elders make a nice group, but each couple works on its own. If you get just one, Grasset and Grassette are the easiest to find and recognize. Roustido only makes sense if you already have the Jourdans, since his job is to wake them up.
Is Margarido always on her donkey?
Often, but not always. Some workshops show her on the donkey with her basket, others standing next to her husband. Both versions have been around a long time.