Christmas is approaching and, in addition to the much-loved Christmas tree, each of us is already thinking about how to set up a nativity scene that can give our home a warm and welcoming atmosphere typical of the Christmas period.
Even the various Italian municipalities and parishes find themselves organizing preparations to create a majestic nativity scene that can represent and commemorate the birth of Jesus. This event represents a crucial historical moment as regards the Catholic tradition and the nativity scene is the way that people who believe in this religion and culture have found to best celebrate it.
The setting up of the nativity scene also represents a moment of reunion and education for the little ones: what is more explanatory than a realistic depiction of the events that happened, to teach a child the traditions of the culture to which he belongs? Many towns, especially the more intimate ones, see the construction of the nativity scene in the main square as a moment of celebration and joy, an opportunity to spend time cheerfully with one's friends and family.
Given the importance of setting up a nativity scene, we want to give you some tips for building one of your own, according to your tastes and which can go well with the rest of the Christmas decorations you have chosen for your home.
Let's start with the necessary and most frequently used materials and see how to assemble them and use them best to create a nativity scene worthy of the name.
Necessary materials and tools
Generally, the nativity scene is set up during the first week of December, usually the 8th, together with the tree, and then dismantled during the days following the Epiphany. If your goal is to create an entirely handmade nativity scene, including the various scenography, you will have to start well in advance, also in relation to how big you want it to be.
Since we are talking about nativity scenes to be placed in the house or apartment, we can also start our work in mid-November. In this way we will be sure that our masterpiece will be ready by December 8th, as per tradition. Let's see what materials are needed to build the nativity scene.
- A base of wood or plywood;
- Newspaper;
- A bright thread;
- Hay;
- Hot glue;
- Themed puppets to decorate;
- Wadding.
- Stones and gravel.
- Tempera colours.
Let's say that once you have obtained these materials, most of them in our DIY department, you can start thinking about structuring your nativity scene in a complete way. Let's see how.
Creation of the Nativity scene
First of all, a respectable nativity scene must have its own hut, which you can easily make with wood, cut to the right size and hot glue. To make the construction even more real, you can use straw to put on the roof and inside, just as if it were a real stable. Always with wood you will then have to build the cradle for the baby which you will then have to fill with cotton wool. For greater stability we recommend fixing it with hot glue.
Once the hut is built, let's move on to the characters. Come on Iperbriko you can find, for sale, puppets made specifically to be colored and decorated, with the appearance of the nativity scene characters:
- Joseph and Mary;
- The baby Jesus;
- The Three Kings;
- The ox and the donkey;
- Other animals and various people to make the representation as realistic as possible.
Using tempera colors you can draw these "characters" as you see fit, making them as similar as possible to the description praised by the stories handed down by our tradition.
Using the stones and gravel you can create a path, the same one that the Three Kings will have to follow to bring their gifts to the Messiah.
At this point your nativity scene is ready, obviously you can add props and other characters, the ones we have indicated are the fundamental elements for building a rather basic nativity scene. The best will come when, thanks to your imagination, you create a unique and imitation-free nativity scene.
Obviously in ours Christmas department you will find many useful products for your nativity scene.
