It is no secret that the Christmas Tree stands as the main decorative item during the Christmas season. It is a tradition and a fun activity to put up the tree with family and friends when the month of December is around the corner. A decorative item of equal importance, or more importance rather, is the ‘Christmas Crib’. The crib is put up to exhibit the nativity (the birth of Jesus) during the Christmas season.

A crib will include figurines of baby Jesus, Joseph and Mary, and some cribs will also have figurines of ‘The Magi’. For those of you who wonder who the magi are, they were the three kings who followed the Christmas star that led to baby Jesus. If you see a star with a long tail hung on a crib, know that it is to symbolise the star that the magi followed. To make the nativity scene more detailed, a crib can also have shepherds, donkeys, lambs and oxen. Remember, Jesus was born and kept in a manger, so adding animals to the crib can give more meaning to the nativity scene. It is tradition to cover baby Jesus’ figurine with a white piece of cloth until Christmas day. Families attend the midnight Christmas mass and come home to unveil baby Jesus, symbolising his birth at their homes.

People become very creative when decorating their cribs. In Sri Lanka, we can often see cribs decorated with hay and colourful light bulbs. Some even plant bajiri seeds and provide enough moisture for the shoots to come out when Christmas day is near, to symbolise the fresh lawn outside the manger.

So how are YOU planning to decorate your Christmas crib this coming season? Get creative and make sure you give it as much attention as you give the Christmas tree 🙂

Captured Image Link: https://www.dailymirror.lk/Caption-Story/Hail-Jesus/110-142811

Shehara Grabau

Business Analyst