CHILDREN OF CLASS 4D E 4E

READ AND TRANSLATED THE HISTORY OF THE

«PRESEPE»

The tradition of the Presepe, or nativity scene, has ancient origins it derives from the cult of the Lares, widespread between the Romans and the Etruscans. The Lares were the ancestors and were represented with small statues. On December 20 the statues were placed on a small altar where the family met to pray.

The nativity scene is a representation of the birth of Jesus.

The name originates from the Latin praesaepe, the manger or enclosure where sheep and goats were kept. The word is composed of prae = in front of and saepes = enclosure, or the place that has an enclosure in front. Over time the name changed to cripia, who later became krippe in German, crib in English, krubba in Swedish and crèche in French.

The modern nativity scene shows a reconstruction of the traditional nativity of Jesus Christ during the Christmas season: all the characters and places of tradition are represnented, from the cave to the stars, from the Magi to the shepherds, the ox and the donkey, the lambs, and so on. The representation can be both living and iconographical.

The characters of the nativity scene:

Holy Family: they are the main characters of the Nativity.The three main characters are baby Jesus, laid in the manger on Christmas Eve. Next to him is Mary, located in the hut (or cave) near the manger that houses the child and is usually represented with blue or sky-blue clothes.St. Joseph is generally similar in clothing and appearance to the shepherds, is located at the side of Jesus and is characterized by a stick with a curved handle, his clothes are either yellow or brown.Next to them the traditional representation of the scene includes a donkey and a ox, that keep the baby Jesus warm with their breath. The Angels: they warn workers of the birth of Jesus. Usually only one is shown in the nativity scene. The archangel Gabriel, one of the most famous angels, warned Mary that she would have given birth to a child and would have called him Jesus. 

The Magi: Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar are traditionally added the night before Epiphany. Melchior is represented as aged, with a long beard and carrying incense; he represents Asia. Gaspar, younger, carries the symbol of royalty, namely gold, and represents Europe. Balthazar is the magician of Africa, naturally dark in color, bearing myrrh, used for embalming and therefore remembering the future death of Christ. The shepherds: representing the poorest, they were the first to adhore the child and are therefore usually placed in front of the crib.

The animals in the nativity scene appear numerous. In addition to the donkey and the ox there are sheep, usually placed near the shepherds, horses, cattle or other exotic animals like monkeys or camels. Often behind the sheperd it is possible to find artisans representing various professions like smiths or masons and singers playing bagpipes or whistles. This is the result of an ancient tradition from Naples, which started in the XVII century. It not only has a naturalistic meaning, representing scenes of the real life, but also an allegoric one. For the same reason specific objects are often used, like a bridge, well or fountain. Nowadays the tradition from Naples is to add to the holy scene the most famous characters from politics to sports and entertainment, keeping the link with real life.

AND THEN…THEY DREW THEIR NATIVITY SCENE

ALICE - 4D ANTONIO - 4D

ALICE - 4E BEATRICE - 4E

AURORA - 4D FEDERICO - 4D

FABRIZIO - 4E FLAMINIA – 4E

FRANCESCA – 4D AURORA  – 4D

LUCREZIA – 4E

GIACOMO – 4E

4D & 4ETEACHER: Patrizia Donati

Work edited by Patrizia Donati