Dominique Foufelle - The Little Book of the Nativity

First published in the United States of America in 2018 by Chronicle Books LLC.
First published in France in 2016 by ditions du ChneHachette Livre as Le Petit livre de la crche de Nol.

Text 2016 by ditions du Chne Hachette Livre.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 9781452169637 (epub, mobi)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Foufelle, Dominique, author. | Translation of: Foufelle, Dominique. Petit livre de la creche de Noel.
Title: The little book of the Nativity / Dominique Foufelle.
Other titles: Petit livre de la creche de Noel. English
Description: San Francisco : Chronicle Books, 2018. | First published in France in 2016 by Editions du Chene-Hachette Livre as Le Petit livre de la creche de Noel.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017048969 | ISBN 9781452169590 (hardcover : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Jesus ChristNativity. | Creches (Nativity scenes) | Christmas.
Classification: LCC BV45 .F6813 2018 | DDC 232.92dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017048969

Cover design by Jennifer Tolo Pierce
Typeset by Jennifer Tolo Pierce.
Translated by Deborah Bruce-Hostler.
All reproductions in this book are from the private collection of ditions du Chne, except Collection Dupondt/akgimages.

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The word crche may awaken childhood memories... the box looked for in the basement or attic in hopes that none of the small pieces that were carefully wrapped after Christmas are missing. The little santon figures unwrapped with nostalgia, positioned and repositioned until the perfect arrangement is made. The squabbling over the arrangements. Trying new decorations that bother us because they dont fit in with the known and familiar. The little Christ Child set into the manger at midnight, a moment all the more joyous for also announcing the arrival of gifts.

Then there was the story told by ones relatives. It seemed rather complicated. It happened longer ago than you could imagine. It seemed that people were fond of donkeys. The Three Kings in beautiful robesjust where did they come from? You would have liked to travel as they did, following a star. Why was the baby they called Jesus born in a stable? What was so extraordinary about him? Children loved this story, even without understanding all of it. Later in life, they realize that to understand entails deep reflection. They give themselves a break at Christmas, a time to return to childhood and love without seeking to understand.

The first Christians were little concerned with the birth of Jesus, but rather with his death and, above all, with the Resurrection. The scant indications given in the Gospels were enough for them. Eventually the Church expanded the story, and theologians posed many questions. In the fourth century, some asked why, among the Christian holy days, there was no celebration of the birth of Jesus. The question was not easy to settle since the Evangelists did not mention the date of this birth. It would have to be invented. In 354, Pope Liberius set the date as December twenty-fourth to the twenty-fifth, already marked in those times by celebrations of the winter solstice. Wild customs were not suitable to welcome Christ; the Churchs censure transformed solstice gatherings into a Christian observance.

Later, the Nativity became a preferred theme in art. Along with images of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, artists used their imagination to portray other figures: the shepherds and their sheep, the ox and ass, and finally the Magia dazzling subject without artistic constraints. Artists at first conveyed a sober scene of the Nativity. In the Renaissance, the visit of the Magi became a lavish procession of prestigious figures. The crche followed a similar evolution, but started later. Tradition has it that Saint Francis of Assisi made the first crche in 1223. It was a living crche, where villagers played the roles of Mary and Joseph, and with real ox and ass. The simple event made a strong impression. The desire to echo the invention of Saint Francis spread in Italy, supported by the Franciscans. In those times most people could not read, and the crche by its simplicity was a tool for religious education. After the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Church worked to revive the faith of its followers. The religious orders, especially the Jesuits, used the crche as a tool for deepening belief. As for making crches, it was not difficult to persuade people to take part in a collective creative project. Fondness for crches flourished of its own accord; henceforth the Catholic custom moved from churches into homes.

Once people adopted the custom of Nativity crches, they set to making them come alive with imagination. In eighteenth-century Naples, the passion for crches reached its peak, with a profusion of figures and decorations whose creation and enjoyment put the city in a state of joy during the Advent season. In the next century, the region of Provence in the South of France made a lasting contribution. Not only were the Nativity figures known as santons created there, but the Provenal crche characters and displays created a very regional, popular ambience. Portugal and Spain brought the crche to countries where they established colonies in the sixteenth century; the custom took hold, transforming over time by local forms of art, including in Africa in the nineteenth century. Throughout Europe and the world, the crche is ever renewed. The set subject does not discourage creativity; even those who would never imagine expressing themselves with a craft can be inspired, uninhibited, as well as skilled craftspeople and artists. Crche-makers earn a living in workshops producing figures in series, yet sometimes you can find a contemporary creation full of originality.

Mary was a virgin when the angel Gabriel told her that she was to give birth to the Son of God.

Mary lived in Nazareth, in Galilee, which was then under Roman occupation. This adolescent of royal descent was betrothed to Joseph, a carpenter who was much older. Both were descended from the house of David, the ancient, venerated king of Israel. Mary had been raised piously. Nevertheless, the visit from the angel Gabriel bewildered her. This messenger from God, whom she did not recognize, told her that she was to bear a son who was destined to become an extraordinary being whose reign would have no end; she must name him Jesus. Innocent as she was, she was astonished that a virgin could conceive. Gabriel told her that the Holy Spirit would come to her, and by the power of God, she would be pregnant without losing her virginity. She had been chosen among all women for this privilege. The Immaculate Conception is an article of faith in the Catholic Church, teaching that Mary was destined to be the Mother of God, she herself having been conceived free of original sin. Other Christian churches, including the Orthodox Church and Protestant denominations, do not teach this belief as dogma.